LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Euracare Hospital, the facility involved in a legal dispute with acclaimed author Chimamanda Adichie over the death of her son, has secured a temporary court order halting the coroner’s inquest into the tragic incident pending the determination of its legal challenge.
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Osborne, Ikoyi, ordered a temporary suspension of the coroner’s inquest investigating the death of Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, the son of Chimamanda and Dr. Ivara Esege.
Justice A.O. Opesanwo issued the ruling following an ex parte application filed by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, the operators of the Victoria Island hospital where the child reportedly died on January 7, 2026.
The hospital is seeking a judicial review of the inquest proceedings.
According to its legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, the coroner may not have jurisdiction over the matter because the child’s body was allegedly cremated before the inquest commenced.
In addition, the hospital questioned a directive from the coroner’s court that reportedly required it to present its defence and call witnesses before other parties, despite allegations of medical negligence being at the centre of the case.
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The respondents named in the suit include Senior Magistrate A.A. Adetunji, the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Ivara Esege, Chimamanda Adichie, and Atlantis Pediatric Hospital Limited.
While granting the application, Justice Opesanwo stated that the issues raised by the hospital deserved full judicial consideration.
“The application is not frivolous or vexatious. It raises issues of procedure and fairness that ought to be ventilated at the substantive stage,” the judge said.
Consequently, the court directed Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited to file its substantive judicial review application within 14 days.
Notably, all proceedings before the coroner’s court will remain on hold until the matter is determined.
The case has been adjourned until June 9, 2026, when the court is expected to hear further arguments on the dispute.
