According to Adichie, her family was in Lagos for Christmas when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a mild cold but later progressed into a severe infection. He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital and arrangements were made for him to be flown to the United States the following day, with a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital prepared to receive him.

As part of preparations for travel, doctors requested an MRI, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line. Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital to carry out these procedures. On the morning of January 6, Nkanu was taken to Euracare and sedated with propofol to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion.

Adichie recounts noticing sudden distress when medical staff rushed into the theatre. She was later informed that Nkanu had allegedly been given an excessive dose of propofol, became unresponsive, and had to be resuscitated. He was subsequently placed on a ventilator, admitted to the ICU, and began experiencing seizures and cardiac arrest—conditions he had never previously had. He died hours later.

Adichie has alleged that her son was not properly monitored after sedation and described the anesthesiologist’s actions as criminally negligent. She further claimed that the same doctor had allegedly overdosed other children in the past and questioned why he was still allowed to practice.

In speaking out, Adichie said her intention is accountability—both for her son and to help prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families.