Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji of a
Lagos court has scheduled the substantive hearing for April 14, 2026, to
commence an inquest into the death of Nkanu Adichie, who passed away after
receiving care at Atlantis Hospital and Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos.
During a preliminary session, the
magistrate confirmed that the court received a request from the Chief Coroner
of Lagos State following the Attorney-General’s call for an inquest,
emphasizing that the Lagos State Government considers itself “bereaved” by the
incident.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi
Pinheiro, representing the family, alleged that the child’s death was unnatural
and resulted from medical negligence, including improper administration of
propofol, potential overdosing, and wrongful diagnosis. The family intends to
present five independent medical experts, including an anesthesiologist, a
paediatric anaesthesia specialist, a radiologist, an intensivist, and the
child’s father, a medical doctor.
The magistrate directed all parties
to file their witness statements ahead of the April hearing. Pinheiro also
requested that Euracare preserve all records and evidence from January 6, 2026,
including CCTV footage, monitoring data, pharmacy records, emergency logs,
internal communications, and morbidity and mortality reviews.
The hearing order was set with
Euracare presenting first, followed by the family, and then Atlantis Hospital.
The case arises from diagnostic and preparatory procedures conducted prior to a
planned medical evacuation to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States,
during which the child reportedly suffered fatal complications.
A Lagos Magistrate’s Court has
adjourned the inquest into the death of Nkanu Adichie to April 14, 2026, to
allow parties to prepare their witness statements and evidence.
Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji noted
that the Attorney-General of Lagos State requested the inquest and stressed
that the government also regards the incident as a matter of public
bereavement.
Representing the family, SAN Kemi
Pinheiro alleged that the child’s death on January 7, 2026, following care at
Atlantis Hospital and Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, was due to medical
negligence. The family plans to call medical experts to testify on issues
including cumulative propofol dosing, inadequate airway protection,
insufficient monitoring during deep sedation, and procedural lapses during
transfer to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
Counsel for Euracare and Atlantis
Hospital will present their accounts in the hearing. The court ordered the
preservation of all physical and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage,
monitoring data, pharmacy records, and internal communications related to the
procedures conducted on January 6, 2026.
The inquest will examine the alleged
breaches in paediatric anaesthesia standards, patient transfer protocols, and
emergency response, as the court seeks to determine the precise circumstances
surrounding the tragic death.
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