LAGOS — Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her husband, Ivara Esege, have asked the Lagos State High Court to dismiss a suit filed by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital seeking to halt the coroner’s inquest into the death of their 21-month-old son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege.
Counsel to Adichie and Esege, Kemi Pinheiro, made the application on Monday, describing the hospital’s suit as premature.
Pinheiro argued that the coroner had yet to make any finding or reach any conclusion that could be subject to judicial review by the High Court.
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twins, died on January 7, 2026, following complications during a series of preparatory medical procedures at Euracare Hospital.
In February, a coroner sitting in the Igbosere Magisterial District in Yaba commenced proceedings to investigate the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
During the proceedings, it emerged that Nkanu’s remains had been cremated, raising questions about the availability of the body for forensic examination.
The development was followed by Euracare’s decision to approach the Lagos State High Court, seeking a judicial review of the coroner’s assumption of jurisdiction and the manner in which the inquest was initiated and conducted.
The hospital’s suit particularly challenged the coroner’s jurisdiction in circumstances where the child’s body had been cremated before the commencement of the inquest.
In June, the High Court ordered a temporary halt to the inquest pending the determination of the judicial review proceedings.
Following the order, the coroner adjourned the proceedings until October.
Monday’s proceedings
At Monday’s hearing, Pinheiro told the court that the coroner’s proceedings were still at the preliminary stage and that no witness had testified or evidence been formally tendered.
He argued that Euracare’s application for judicial review sought to pre-empt a decision that the coroner had not yet made.
The senior lawyer also relied on Section 21 of the Lagos State Coroners’ System Law, arguing that the law permits an inquest to proceed even where a body has been destroyed or cannot be recovered.
According to him, the absence of Nkanu’s remains did not, in itself, deprive the coroner of jurisdiction to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Lagos State Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, also urged the court to dismiss the hospital’s suit.
However, counsel to Euracare, Taiwo Osipitan, argued that the hospital should not be compelled to present its evidence first when the complainant, who had alleged medical incompetence, had yet to present its case.
After hearing arguments from the parties, Justice Aisat Opesanwo reserved ruling on the matter until October 12, 2026.
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