The coroner’s inquest into the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Adichie-Esege, son of celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr. Ivara Esege, has been put on ice after a Lagos High Court order suspended proceedings. Coroner Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji on Wednesday adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026, after learning that the hospital at the center of the case had obtained a judicial review.
The inquest, set to hear evidence, ground to a halt when Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, counsel for Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, told the court the hospital had secured leave from the High Court to challenge the coroner’s jurisdiction. Osipitan argued that the key question is whether the coroner can lawfully investigate a death when the child’s remains were allegedly cremated before the inquest began.
“There is a consequential order that pending the determination of our substantive suit, this coroner’s court be stayed,” Osipitan said, adding that all parties had been served and the return date is June 8, 2026.
But Adebola Araba from the Lagos State Attorney-General’s Office said he had not personally seen the enrolled order. Osipitan countered that the office had been served the day before.
On behalf of the deceased’s family, Kemi Pinheiro told the court they had filed four witness statements, including from the child’s father, Dr. Ivara Esege, and medical experts from the US and Nigeria. “He who has nothing to hide should not fear an open inquest. An innocent man has nothing to fear. It is darkness that fears the light,” Pinheiro said, urging the court to adjourn until after the court vacation rather than indefinitely.
Counsel for Atlantis Pediatric Hospital, Efe Ize-Iyamu, confirmed his client had been served and aligned with Pinheiro’s submissions.
In a heated exchange, Osipitan insisted that the alleged cremation of the child’s remains before the coroner’s jurisdiction was activated is central. “Whether you are fearful or fearless, there was wilful destruction. You cannot assume jurisdiction. What they did is punishable by 15 years imprisonment,” he argued.
Pinheiro fired back, saying the submissions were an affront to the Coroner’s Law. “We will demonstrate instances where inquests have been conducted even without the body,” he said.
Magistrate Adetunji adjourned the matter to October 8, 2026.
The stay order was granted on May 26, 2026, by Justice Aishat Opesanwo of the Lagos State High Court. She ruled that the application by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited was not frivolous or vexatious and raised issues of procedure and fairness deserving judicial determination. The judge ordered that the grant of leave operate as a stay of all further proceedings in the coroner’s inquest.
The hospital is challenging decisions made by the coroner’s court on January 21, February 25, and April 14, 2026, regarding the inquiry into the death of Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, who died on January 7, 2026, at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos. The hospital seeks orders of certiorari and prohibition to quash and restrain the coroner’s court from continuing.
The case has been further complicated by a previous suspension on May 5, 2026, after the Lagos State Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, requested consultations. Magistrate Adetunji criticized the Attorney-General’s office for seeking to halt proceedings without formal notice and said she would refer the matter to the Chief Coroner.
For now, the inquest remains frozen pending the High Court’s decision on the hospital’s challenge.
