Court Rejects Hospital’s Bid to Stop Probe Into Chimamanda Adichie’s Son’s Death

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has dismissed an application filed by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital seeking to halt a coroner’s inquest into the tragic death of Nkanu Esege, the 21-month-old son of famed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband, Dr. Ivara Esege.

Presiding judge Justice Aishat Opesanwo struck out the suit on Monday, clearing the legal obstacles for the coroner’s court to continue its fact-finding probe into the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death.

The hospital had approached the High Court seeking orders to quash the inquest proceedings, arguing that the cremation of the child’s body deprived the coroner of jurisdiction and made post-mortem analysis impossible. Euracare also challenged the coroner’s order requiring its medical staff to present evidence first.

Dismissing the application, Justice Opesanwo clarified that a coroner’s court is not a trial court where a burden of proof is assigned, but rather a fact-finding inquiry mandated by state law. She noted that under the Lagos State Coroners System Law, the absence or cremation of a body does not invalidate the coroner’s statutory authority to investigate a death.

The toddler passed away on January 7, 2026, following medical procedures at the facility, prompting the family to allege breaches of duty of care, while the hospital maintains that its care met standard medical guidelines. Following the High Court’s ruling, the coroner’s inquest at the Igbosere Magisterial District in Yaba is now set to resume.