ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has suspended three top doctors, in which a prima facie case of medical negligence and professional misconduct have been established regarding the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Adichie-Esege, one of the twins of celebrated international author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Dr Ivara Esege.
An MDCN panel reviewing the case finalized its findings at the 25 th MDCN sitting held in Abuja on February 17-18, where it deemed there was enough evidence to support a charge against the doctors involved in the case of the child. Three doctors involved in the case have therefore been issued an interim suspension notice in Nigeria, prohibiting them from medical practice, and will now face disciplinary proceedings before the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
These doctors were Dr Tosin Majekodunmi, Medical Director of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital (Lagos), Dr Titus Ogundare, anaesthesiologist at the Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, and Dr Atinuke Uwajeh, Chief Medical Officer at Atlantis Paediatric Hospital.
The MDCN panel has also found the same ten other doctors working at Atlantis Paediatric Hospital may have had instances of professional misconduct to answer and has sent their cases to the medical tribunal.
Nkanu died on January 7 2026 after post-operative complications arose from preliminary medical procedures including anaesthesia and diagnostic assessment before transfer to another country for continued management. Legal notices to the Adichies family show their complaints of clinical oversight and negligence among other failings in his treatment that led to his demise.
Euracare hospital in Nigeria defended its doctors and confirmed its trust in their competence while querying the regulatory procedures regarding the incident. The hospital expressed its condolence to the deceased’s family in a public statement issued in the aftermath of Nkanu’s death.
