LAGOS, Nigeria — Proceedings in the coroner’s inquest into the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Adichie-Esege, the son of acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr. Ivara Esege, have been suspended following an order from the Lagos State High Court.
The Coroner’s Court sitting at the Igbosere Magistrate Court on Lagos Island adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026, after lawyers informed the court that a judicial review application filed by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital is currently before the High Court. The hospital is challenging whether the coroner has jurisdiction to conduct the inquest, citing claims that the child’s remains were cremated before the proceedings were initiated.
Okay News reports that counsel representing Euracare, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, told the court that the High Court had granted leave for the judicial review and ordered a stay of all proceedings pending the determination of the substantive case. He said the key issue before the High Court is whether an inquest can legally continue in the absence of the deceased’s body.
Representatives of the Lagos State Attorney-General’s Office indicated they had not yet seen the enrolled court order, although Euracare’s legal team maintained that the relevant parties had already been served.
Meanwhile, counsel for the child’s family, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), disclosed that witness statements had been filed and exchanged among the parties. The proposed witnesses include the child’s father, Dr. Ivara Esege, medical experts based in the United States, and a consultant from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
Pinheiro argued that the inquest should eventually proceed despite the legal challenge, maintaining that the absence of a body does not automatically prevent a coroner from investigating a death. Counsel for Atlantis Pediatric Hospital also confirmed receipt of the High Court documents and acknowledged that the parties were bound by the stay order.
After hearing submissions from all sides, Coroner Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji adjourned the matter to October 8, pending developments in the High Court proceedings.
