The proceedings were adjourned until that date to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 21-month-old Master Nkanu Nnamdi Esege’s death, son of the acclaimed Nigerian author and Dr Ivara Esege.
The parents, Adichie and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, accused the hospital of “prima facie breaches of the duty of care” in their son’s treatment.
The Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital denied the allegations of medical negligence, describing the claim as inaccurate and unfounded.
When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, Magistrate Adetunji explained that the court received an application from the Lagos State Chief Coroner after the Attorney-General requested an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased.
The magistrate also disclosed that the Lagos State Government also considers itself affected by the case.
She stated that the purpose of the initial meeting was to decide whether to proceed with a formal inquest.
The Coroner directed all parties to submit witness statements before the next hearing and warned them to approach the case with care, noting that the court’s primary aim was to find out what caused the death.
Magistrate Adetunji further stated that an autopsy is typically the starting point for every inquest, stating, “For every inquest, the starting point is that there must be an autopsy done to give us a professional report.”
Lawyers to the family of the deceased, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, urged the Coroner to proceed with the inquest, stressing that the parents believe the child’s death was unnatural and occurred during medical intervention.
Pinheiro said that the family intends to present evidence of gross negligence, overdose, wrongful prescriptions, improper use of propofol, and misdiagnosis.
He also stated that the family will call five independent experts, including an anesthesiologist, a pediatric anaesthesia specialist, a radiologist, an intensivist, and the child’s father, who is also a doctor.
The lawyer also asked the court to order Euracare to preserve all evidence from January 6, 2026, such as CCTV footage, monitoring data, pharmacy records, emergency logs, internal communications, and hospital reviews.
He then proposed that Euracare start the hearing, followed by the family and then Atlantis Hospital.
The magistrate agreed that Euracare would begin the proceedings, with the family’s case next, and Atlantis Hospital afterwards.
The counsel to Atlantis Hospital, Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, told the Coroner that his client would present its account of the events, noting she only learned of the court appearance on Tuesday after receiving a letter.
Adebola Rahman, the Lagos State Attorney-General’s representative, stated that after learning of the child’s death, the Lagos AG requested an inquest.
