The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikoyi has struck out an application by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital seeking to halt the coroner’s inquest into the death of Nkanu Esege, son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
According to a report by The PUNCH, Justice Aishat Opesanwo dismissed the hospital’s arguments that the cremation of Nkanu’s body deprived the coroner of jurisdiction and that the procedure for receiving evidence breached its right to a fair hearing.
The judge held that under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroners System Law 2007, an inquest is required in qualifying circumstances surrounding a death. She explained that the absence of the deceased’s body did not automatically invalidate the proceedings.
Justice Opesanwo further clarified that a coroner’s inquest is a fact-finding process designed to establish the circumstances of a death, including how, when and where it occurred. She stressed that the process is not a criminal trial intended to punish or assign blame to any party.
The court also rejected the hospital’s objection to the order in which evidence would be received, noting that the coroner had the discretion to determine the sequence of statements and evidence presented.
Nkanu Esege died on January 7, 2026, following medical procedures. The circumstances surrounding his death prompted the ongoing legal inquiry.
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