Chimamanda’s Son’s Death: Dr Nwandu Disputes Euracare’s Account, Alleges Severe Breaches

The controversy surrounding the death of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr Ivara Esege’s 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi Esege, has escalated following a detailed rebuttal to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital’s recent statement.

In a press release issued in response to Euracare’s statement dated Saturday, 10 January 2026, the child’s aunt, Dr Anthea Esege Nwandu, accused the hospital of presenting inconsistencies and false claims regarding the circumstances of her nephew’s death at its facility.

Dr Nwandu, a dual board-certified Internal Medicine physician with over 30 years of clinical experience in Nigeria and the United States, challenged Euracare’s assertion that the family’s account contained inaccuracies.

“In their press statement, Euracare claims that there are inaccuracies in the account of how my nephew passed. Which inaccuracies exactly?” she asked.

In her response, Dr Nwandu addressed several claims made by the hospital, contrasting them with what she described as “the documented truth of the situation.”

She disputed Euracare’s claim that the child had received care at two paediatric centres prior to arriving at the hospital. According to her, “This is false. He was in one hospital before coming to Euracare for the procedures.”

Euracare had also stated that it provided care “in line with established clinical protocols and internationally accepted medical standards,” a claim Dr Nwandu firmly rejected. She outlined what she said were multiple deviations from internationally accepted standards of care.

“International standards demand that a child on oxygen who is given sedation must have continuous oxygen therapy. Did Euracare do this? No! They confirmed this verbally to me when I went to the hospital to question the doctors,” she said. “International standards demand that the child should have had continuous monitoring of oxygen levels in his blood. Did Euracare do this? No.”

According to Dr Nwandu, additional lapses included the lack of continuous monitoring of the child’s pulse and respiration, as well as the failure to ensure the presence of resuscitative equipment during internal transfers within the hospital.

“International standards demand continuous monitoring of pulse and respiration. Did Euracare do this? No,” she stated.

She also questioned the reliability of medical documentation under the circumstances described. “Since there was no monitoring, is it possible to accurately document when the child stopped breathing or for how long he was pulseless before he was resuscitated? No.”

Dr Nwandu further criticised the manner in which the child was handled following sedation. “Is it international standard for an anesthesiologist to carry a child post-sedation on his shoulder, unable to visually see the child, with absolutely no monitoring, while insisting that he alone would be in the elevator with the child? No,” she said.

She also alleged that the child’s oxygen supply was disconnected during his transfer to the intensive care unit. “To transfer the child to the ICU, the anesthesiologist disconnected his oxygen and again carried him on his shoulder. Is that standard practice? No.”

In the press release, Dr Nwandu maintained that her nephew was medically stable at the time of the incident and had already been scheduled for an evacuation flight to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Dr Anthea Esege Nwandu is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Euracare has stated that it is reviewing the matter amid ongoing public scrutiny of the hospital’s handling of the case.

Pulse Nigeria is deeply saddened by the news of this tragic loss. We extend our most heartfelt condolences to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her family during this unimaginably difficult time.