Nigerian author accuses hospital of stalling review into her son's death

5 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google Harry Sekulich Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 21-month old son died in a Lagos hospital in January. Prominent Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a hospital in Lagos of obstructing an inquest into the circumstances surrounding her baby son's death. A coronial inquest into the death of her 21-month-old son, Nknau, at Euracare hospital in January had been due to start in April, Aidichie said. The author now alleges that Euracare has "stalled and muddied and obfuscated" over the inquest and has requested Nigeria's Federal High Court block the inquiry. The BBC has approached Euracare for comment. An investigation panel set up a possible case of medical negligence against the hospital. Adichie recently published a letter on social media which she had sent to the hospital's director in April. It was her first public comment since the death of her son, who was one of twin boys born in 2024, using a surrogate. "If Euracare cares about the truth, then why create delays and distractions and now, finally, try to stop an inquest," she wrote in her post. The hospital has expressed its "deepest sympathies" over the death but denied wrongdoing, saying its care had been in line with international standards. In the letter, she accuses the hospital of providing incomplete medical records, which she described as "strikingly unprofessional", adding that "one was inaccurate". According to submissions made to the court by Adichie's legal team, Nkanu had initially been admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos with what was described as a worsening but mild illness. Plans had been made to transfer him to the United States for further treatment at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, before the toddler was referred to Euracare for a pre-flight inspection, including an MRI and a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture. Nkanu died on 7 January after undergoing the various diagnostic tests at Euracare hospital. Adichie has authored multiple award-winning novels including Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013), and has recently hosted panels of world leaders, including former US Vice-President Kamala Harris while she was promoting her autobiography and ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. She lives in the US but was in Nigeria for the Christmas holidays.