Court Halts Inquest Into Death of Chimamanda Adichie’s Son Amid Legal Battle Over Jurisdiction

Fresh legal twists have stalled the coroner’s inquest into the death of Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, the 21-month-old son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr. Ivara Esege.

The Coroner’s Court sitting at the Igbosere Magistrate Court on Lagos Island on Wednesday suspended further proceedings after a Lagos State High Court ordered a stay of the inquest pending the determination of a judicial review application filed by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital.

Coroner Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji subsequently adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026, after lawyers informed the court that the High Court had directed all proceedings to be put on hold.

The development came just as the inquest was preparing to commence witness hearings into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, which occurred on January 7, 2026, at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Representing the hospital, Professor Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, told the court that the hospital had approached the High Court to challenge whether the Coroner’s Court had the legal authority to continue with the inquiry.

According to Osipitan, one of the major legal questions raised in the judicial review application is whether the coroner can investigate a death after the deceased’s remains had allegedly been cremated before the inquest began.

He argued that the absence of the body makes post-mortem examination impossible and could affect the jurisdiction of the Coroner’s Court.

“There is also a consequential order that pending the determination of our substantive suit, this Coroner’s Court be stayed,” Osipitan told the court.

Counsel to the bereaved family, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, however insisted the family remained committed to uncovering the truth behind the child’s death despite the temporary setback.

Pinheiro disclosed that four witness statements had already been filed, including testimonies expected from the child’s father, Dr. Ivara Esege, medical experts from the United States, and a specialist from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

“He who has nothing to conceal should not fear an open inquest. An innocent individual has nothing to dread. It is the darkness that fears the light,” Pinheiro stated during proceedings.

The legal dispute has also drawn the attention of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who reportedly ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.

The High Court ruling that halted the inquest was delivered on May 26, 2026, by Justice Aishat Opesanwo of the Lagos State High Court, Osborne Foreshore.

In her ruling, the judge held that the hospital’s application raised legitimate legal questions regarding procedure and fairness, granting leave for judicial review and directing that the order should operate as a stay of all proceedings at the Coroner’s Court.

The hospital is seeking orders to stop the inquest entirely and overturn earlier rulings made by the Coroner’s Court in the matter.

The case has continued to attract widespread public attention because of the prominence of the family involved and the legal questions surrounding medical accountability, coroner procedures and patients’ rights in Nigeria.