Doctor Said They Gave My Son Too Much Propofol and He Died, I Don’t Want to Go to Nigeria, says Heartbroken Chimamanda

By Chike Ofili
Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken about the devastating death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, recalling a doctor’s alleged admission that the child had been given “too much Propofol” and saying the tragedy has fundamentally changed her relationship with Nigeria.

In an interview with The New York Times, Adichie said the loss had left such a profound emotional scar that she no longer wanted to return to the country she had long regarded as central to her identity and writing.

“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed; I do not want to go back to Nigeria,” she said.

Nkanu Adichie-Esege, one of twin boys born via surrogate in 2024, died on January 7, 2026, following a short illness.

The family has alleged that complications developed at Euracare after the child was referred from another medical facility and underwent procedures involving sedation for an MRI.

Euracare has denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the care provided met international standards and that the child arrived at the hospital critically ill.

Adichie, however, recalled a conversation with a doctor following the procedure which she said would remain etched in her memory for the rest of her life.

“He was very calm, and he said to me, ‘Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.’ Those were his exact words, which I will never forget until the day I die,” she said.

The celebrated novelist said the death has dramatically altered the emotional bond she previously had with Nigeria.

Before the tragedy, Adichie said Nigeria occupied an important place in her life and creative identity. She described the country as the place from which she received “everything” that enabled her to become the writer she is today.

But Nkanu’s death has changed that relationship.

Speaking about whether she could eventually return, Adichie suggested that her children might be the only reason she would reconsider her present position, particularly because her daughter continues to regard Nigeria as her “happy place”.

For Adichie, however, the enormity of losing her young son remains difficult to comprehend.

“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died,” she said.

“You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”

The author’s account brings renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death, even as the family’s assertions and the hospital’s insistence that it followed appropriate medical standards remain sharply at odds.