The Coroner Court sitting at the Yaba Magistrate Court has adjourned proceedings until April 14, 2026, in order to begin an investigation into the death of Master Nkanu Nnamdi Esege, a 21-month-old who is the son of Dr. Ivara Esege and well-known Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The matter was brought before the coroner court on Wednesday, as scheduled by Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji.
Following treatment at Atlantis Hospital and medical procedures at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos, Nkanu passed away on January 7, 2026.
The infant was initially admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos due to an ailment that was initially mild but was characterized as getting worse.
Atlantis sent him to Euracare for pre-flight diagnostic treatments, including a lumbar puncture, MRI, and central line insertion, while plans were being made to transport him to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States.
However, after the operations, the infant died.
In relation to his death, his parents have claimed professional malfeasance and medical malpractice.
Adebola Rahman appeared on behalf of the Attorney-General of Lagos State, while Professor Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) confirmed his appearance on behalf of the family when the case was called. Atlantis Hospital was represented by Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe of Health Ethics and Law Consulting, and Euracare was also represented.
Magistrate Adetunji said during an initial meeting with the parties that the attorney general had requested an inquest and the chief coroner of Lagos State had submitted an application to the court.
“The Lagos State Government also considers itself bereaved,” she said.
“The Lagos State Government is also bereaved; that is why the attorney general has taken this step. It is not just the family of the deceased that is affected,” she said.
The purpose of the preliminary session, the magistrate stated, was to decide whether a formal inquest by the coroner would be held.
She emphasized that the court’s objective was to ascertain the cause of the occurrence and advised all parties to approach the proceedings cautiously. She also instructed all parties to submit their witness statements by the next adjourned date.
Adetunji went on to say that every inquest usually begins with an autopsy.
“For every inquest, the starting point is that there must be an autopsy done to give us a professional report,” she said.
“The parents maintain that the child’s death was unnatural and occurred during medical intervention,” Pinheiro said, urging the court to move on with the case.
He stated that the family would provide proof of egregious medical malpractice, a potential overdose, a misprescription, incorrect propofol administration, and a misdiagnosis.
He stated that the family intends to contact five separate medical specialists, including the child’s father; a physician; a radiologist; an intensivist; a pediatric anesthesia specialist; and an anesthesiologist.
Pinheiro further requested that the court order Euracare to retain all electronic and physical evidence from January 6, 2026, including electronic monitoring data; CCTV footage; pharmaceutical records; logs of emergency equipment; internal communications; and studies of morbidity and mortality.
He proposed that the hearing be opened by Euracare, then by the family, and finally by Atlantis Hospital.
The magistrate decided that Atlantis would submit its case after the family, despite agreeing that Euracare would go first.
Onyemelukwe had earlier informed the court that Atlantis will give its version of events. She said that it was only through a letter that she learned about the court appearance on Tuesday.
Rahman, speaking on behalf of the attorney general, stated that the Lagos AG requested an inquest after learning of the child’s passing.
“Since all the parties are here, we would be asking the court to open the hearing. We pray this court commences with the hearing,” he said.
Adichie and her husband accused Euracare, its anesthesiologist, and other attending medical staff of violating their son’s duty of care in a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, filed by the law company headed by Pinheiro (SAN).
According to the notice, on January 6, 2026, the infant, born on March 25, 2024, was sent to Euracare for diagnostic and preparatory operations in preparation for an emergency medical evacuation to the United States, where a team of specialists was supposedly waiting.
An echocardiogram, a brain MRI, the insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter, a lumbar puncture, and intravenous sedation with propofol were reportedly performed.
The parents claimed that the child experienced unexpected and serious complications while being transported to the cardiac catheterization laboratory following the MRI.
Inadequate airway protection during deep sedation, failure to ensure continuous physiological monitoring, transfer without supplemental oxygen or adequate monitoring, lack of accompanying medical personnel, delayed recognition and management of respiratory or cardiovascular distress, and noncompliance with established pediatric anesthesia and patient-transfer safety standards were among the issues of concern raised in the notice.
The judge postponed the hearing to April 14, 2026.
