The Lagos State Coroner\u2019s Court has commenced an inquest into the death of Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, son of internationally acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who died on January 7, 2026, during medical treatment. The preliminary session took place on February 25, 2026, before Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, sitting at Court 4, Magistrates\u2019 Court, Yaba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the opening of proceedings, Magistrate Adetunji expressed condolences to the family and explained that the inquest is inquisitorial in nature, designed to uncover the circumstances surrounding the death and prevent a recurrence. Lead counsel for the family, Prof. \u2019Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, accepted the condolences and pledged full cooperation with the inquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He emphasized that the inquest must scrutinize medical records to determine whether medical incompetence, gross negligence, improper monitoring, wrongful administration of drugs \u2014 including Propofol \u2014 misdiagnosis, or inappropriate treatment protocols contributed to the child\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On behalf of the family, Prof. Pinheiro requested that the coroner compel the production of critical evidence, including CCTV footage from Euracare Hospital; the qualifications of attending doctors; anaesthesia charts; monitoring logs; and complete electronic medical records. He also confirmed that the family intends to call expert witnesses, including an anaesthesiologist, paediatrician, intensivist, and radiologist, as well as the child\u2019s father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Office of the Attorney General of Lagos State, represented by Adebola Araba, supported the need for the inquest. Representatives of Euracare and Atlantis Paediatric Hospital \u2014 Mc. Williams Nwaogu and Prof. Cheluchi Oyemelukwe, respectively \u2014 concurred and expressed readiness to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The coroner raised the issue of an autopsy. Prof. Pinheiro noted that although no autopsy report is available, Section 21(1) of the Coroner System Law permits an inquest to proceed in such circumstances. The coroner accepted this position, noting that there were no objections from the other parties, although counsel from the Attorney General\u2019s Office observed that an autopsy would ordinarily have been preferable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the order of testimony, Prof. Pinheiro argued that the hospitals should lead evidence first, with the family presenting rebuttal evidence thereafter. After hearing submissions, the coroner directed that evidence would be taken in the following order: Euracare, the family, and Atlantis. All testimonies are to be reduced to written witness statements and exchanged before the next hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Pinheiro also requested that the family be allowed to participate virtually. The coroner confirmed openness to this, subject to an application to the Chief Registrar and payment of the requisite fees. Recordings will not be permitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The inquest was adjourned to April 14, 2026, and May 5, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Lagos State Coroner\u2019s Court has commenced an inquest into the death of Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, son of internationally acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who died on January 7, 2026, during medical treatment. The preliminary session took place on February 25, 2026, before Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, sitting at Court 4, Magistrates\u2019 Court, Yaba. At the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":96117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,143],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-96116","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-judiciary","8":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96118,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96116\/revisions\/96118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datelineafro.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}