A fresh legal battle has delayed 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.
The Coroner’s Court sitting at the JIC Taylor Courthouse on Lagos Island on Wednesday adjourned proceedings until October 8, 2026, following a stay order issued by the Lagos State High Court.
According to Channels Television, the coroner, Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, postponed further hearing after counsel to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Prof Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), informed the court that the High Court had ordered a suspension of the inquest pending the determination of a judicial review application.
The inquest, which was scheduled to commence hearing on Wednesday, is aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death.
Osipitan told the court that Euracare had approached the High Court to challenge the Coroner’s Court’s jurisdiction to conduct the inquiry. He argued that one of the central issues before the High Court is whether the coroner can investigate the cause of death when the child’s body had allegedly been cremated before the inquest began.
According to him, the judicial review application also seeks clarification on whether an inquest can legally proceed in the absence of the deceased’s body.
He stated that Justice Aishat Opesanwo granted Euracare leave on May 26, 2026, to pursue judicial review proceedings through orders of certiorari and prohibition. The court also ordered that the coroner’s proceedings be stayed pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
Counsel representing the Lagos State Attorney-General’s office, Adebola Araba, said he had not personally seen the court order, although Osipitan maintained that the office had already been served.
Representing the Adichie-Esege family, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) told the court that four witness statements had been filed and served. The witnesses include Dr Ivara Esege, a medical practitioner from Arizona, another medical expert from Minnesota, and a professor from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
While acknowledging the need to comply with the stay order, Pinheiro insisted that the inquest should eventually proceed.
“He who has nothing to hide should not fear an open inquest,” he told the court, urging that the matter be adjourned until after the court vacation rather than indefinitely.
Counsel for Atlantis Pediatric Hospital, Efe Ize-Iyamu, also confirmed that his client had been served with the judicial review documents and aligned with submissions that the parties were bound by the High Court’s order.
Osipitan, however, argued that the alleged cremation of the child’s body before the activation of the coroner’s jurisdiction raised serious legal questions.
Pinheiro countered that inquests have been conducted in other cases even where no body was available and argued that the issue should not prevent the inquiry from taking place.
After hearing submissions from all parties, Magistrate Adetunji adjourned the matter to October 8, 2026.
The case stems from allegations of medical negligence surrounding the death of Nkanu Adichie-Esege and has attracted significant public attention due to the profile of the child’s parents.
