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Physician raises fresh concerns over Chimamanda’s son’s death
A board-certified internal medicine physician, Dr. Anthea Nwandu, has called for justice to be served in the case surrounding the death of the son of acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, urging that legal proceedings continue without further delays.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Nwandu expressed concern over repeated adjournments in the inquest into the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Nnamdi Esege, who reportedly died at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital on January 7, 2026.
According to her, the family is seeking answers and expects due process to be followed.
“The expectation is that the inquest proceeds as planned. We just want to see justice served and due process followed. We do not want to continue dealing with more and more delays by Euracare’s counsel,” she said.
Nwandu described the postponements as painful for the bereaved family, adding that each delay compounds their grief.
“The delays are just like driving a nail in the wound. It’s painful. We expect justice to be served and the legal process to proceed as planned without further delays,” she stated.
She noted that the matter, which was initially expected to progress in April and May, has now been adjourned until October.
“We were told that it has been adjourned till October. This is a proceeding that was supposed to have started back in April, May, and now June. More and more delays, and now it has been postponed until October. We just expect that justice is served and the legal process is followed,” she added.
Nwandu also spoke about the emotional toll the prolonged proceedings have taken on the family.
“As you can well imagine, the families are continuing to be devastated. It’s an unimaginable experience, and they are not doing well. Having this case drawn through public scrutiny like this is extremely painful,” she said.
While acknowledging that the outcome of the case would not bring back the deceased child, she stressed the importance of establishing the circumstances surrounding his death.
“Even getting to the end of the case will not bring Nkanu back, but it’s important for us to get answers, to understand why this happened and get justice done. This drawn-out proceeding is not helping at all, and so it’s just so painful,” Nwandu said.
The inquest into Nkanu’s death began on February 25, 2026. However, in May, the coroner sitting at the JIC Taylor Courthouse on Lagos Island suspended proceedings pending further directives from the Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada.
On Wednesday, the coroner further adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026. The case centres on the circumstances surrounding the death of Adichie’s son at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, with the family seeking accountability and answers through the ongoing legal process.