Nearly two months after the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Adichie-Esege, Nigeria’s medical regulatory body has taken decisive action suspending three doctors connected to his treatment pending a full disciplinary hearing.
The Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel suspended Dr. Tunde Majekodunmi, Medical Director of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, alongside the hospital’s anaesthesiologist Dr. Titus Ogundare, and the Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis Pediatric Hospital, Dr. Atinuke Uwajeh, after establishing a prima facie case of medical negligence in the management of the toddler.
The decisions were reached during the panel’s 25th session held at Excel Hotel and Resort in Abuja on February 17 and 18, 2026, with the formal announcement coming on March 3.
All three suspended doctors are barred from practising medicine in Nigeria pending the determination of their cases by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. The panel also found a prima facie case of professional misconduct against 10 other doctors, while eight were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Nkanu, one of the twin sons of acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband Dr. Ivara Esege, died on January 7, 2026, following a brief illness. In a statement issued three days after his death, Adichie gave a detailed and harrowing account of what she alleged were catastrophic failures in her son’s care.
According to Adichie, Nkanu was taken to Euracare Hospital in Lagos for an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line after what initially appeared to be a common cold developed into a serious infection. During the procedure, Nkanu was sedated but was reportedly not properly monitored after receiving the sedative propofol, resulting in complications including loss of responsiveness, seizures and cardiac arrest. “He would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6th,” she stated.
Following the death, Adichie and her husband engaged the law firm led by Kemi Pinheiro to pursue legal action, with the firm accusing Euracare, its anaesthesiologist and other attending medical personnel of breaching their duty of care. The parents demanded certified copies of all medical records related to their son’s treatment within seven days, including admission notes, consent forms, anaesthetic charts, drug administration logs, ICU records, incident reports and the names of all medical personnel involved.
A coroner at the Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos has also fixed April 14, 2026, to begin separate proceedings into the death of Nkanu.
The suspensions mark a significant development in a case that has reignited a national conversation about medical negligence and accountability in Nigerian private hospitals