Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, was longlisted for the Booker prize in 2004 and who is best known for her novel Americanah, is going through a personal crisis. Her 21-month old son, Nkanu Nnamdi tragically passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at a hospital in Nigeria.
The author's family has since accused the Euracare Hospital in Lagos of negligence, resulting in the child's death.
21-month old Nkanu Nnamdi, the son of Nigerian postcolonial feminist author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie suffered from a brief illness before passing away.
The deceased's family has accused the hospital, Euracare Hospital located in Lagos of negligence including denial of oxygen and administering an excess of sedatives which eventually led to the child's cardiac arrest.
The hospital, which expressed their sympathies with the grieving family said that the care it had extended to the toddler, was at par with international standards. Euracare Hospital claimed that the patient, Nkanu Nnamdi was in extremely critical condition when he was brought in.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's sister-in-law, Dr Anthea Nwandu made her allegations on live television in Nigeria and put forward her claims that the toddler was given "too much sedation" and was not provided oxygen when required, leading to brain injury and eventually, an unfortunate death.
The doctor further said that the medical staff at the hospital would leave the patient alone and took improper care that put the child in harm's way. Currently, it has been reported that an investigation into the sudden death and allegations are being carried on.
In a statement, the hospital said, "In the course of his care, we worked collaboratively with external medical teams as recommended by his family and ensured that all necessary clinical support was provided".
The 48-year-old author is mother to a daughter born in 2016. She gave birth to her twin boys in 2024 who were welcomed via surrogate. However, one of the twin boys died less than 24 hours since being brought to Euracare Hospital.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.