The inquiry into the death of 21-month-old Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege, son of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr. Ivara Esege, has been put on hold by the Coroner’s Court, which is housed at the Igbosere Magistrate Court on Lagos Island.
The ruling comes after a High Court judgment that halted the proceedings until a judicial review application was decided.
After learning that the Lagos State High Court had granted an order to halt the inquest, Coroner Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji scheduled the next mention of the case for October 8, 2026, on Wednesday.
The inquest was about to start when Professor Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, on behalf of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, told the court that the hospital had obtained permission from the High Court to challenge the Coroner’s Court’s jurisdiction to conduct the investigation.
Osipitan informed the court that a key question in the judicial review procedures is whether the Coroner’s Court had the proper authority to look into the child’s death because the remains had apparently been incinerated before the inquest even started.
He went on to say that the primary application also raises the question of whether a coroner has the legal authority to look into the cause of death when the body is no longer accessible for analysis.
Osipitan told the court, “There is also a consequential order that this Coroner’s Court be stayed pending the determination of our substantive suit.”
Lagos Governor Sanwo-Olu has responded to the incident by ordering an investigation into the murder of Chimamanda Adichie’s kid.
The date of our return is June 8, 2026. We have served all parties, and in accordance with the order, we ask that this court postpone the proceedings until we return,” he continued.
However, Lagos State Attorney-General’s Office attorney Adebola Araba told the court that he had not personally examined the enrolled order.
Osipitan responded by claiming that the Attorney-General’s office had been duly served.
“We served the Attorney General’s office on Wednesday after submitting our filing on Monday. “The office has been served, even though he may not have personally received it,” he said.
Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court on behalf of the deceased’s family that four witness testimonies made under oath had previously been filed and given to all parties concerned.
The child’s father, Dr. Ivara Esege; Dr. Chinwe Ego from Arizona, USA; another medical expert from Minnesota, USA; and Prof. Adekola from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital are the suggested witnesses, he said.
Pinheiro stated that the family was committed to pursuing the inquest even though they would abide by the High Court’s stay decision.
An open inquest should not be feared by those who have nothing to hide. An innocent person has nothing to fear. He said, “It is the darkness that fears the light.”
Instead of delaying the case indefinitely, the senior attorney asked the Coroner’s Court to postpone it until after the court vacation.
Efe Ize-Iyamu, the attorney for Atlantis Paediatric Hospital, told the court that both the enrolled order and the originating application had been served to his client, who is listed as the sixth respondent in the judicial review proceedings.
He agreed with Pinheiro’s reasoning, claiming that Atlantis Paediatric Hospital had already responded to the application even though the parties were required to follow the High Court’s ruling.
According to Osipitan, the fundamental issue was still the legal consequences of the alleged incineration of the child’s remains before the Coroner’s Court’s authority was activated.
“There was deliberate destruction, regardless of whether one is fearful or fearless,” he argued.
“You cannot assume jurisdiction,” he said. They could face a 15-year prison sentence for what they did. Is it possible for someone who has broken the law to argue for an inquest?
Pinheiro, however, disagreed, claiming that the submissions violated the Coroner’s Law.
He told the court, “We will give examples where inquests have been conducted even in the absence of the body.”
Magistrate Adetunji postponed the case until October 8, 2026, after taking into account the counsel’s arguments.
The development came after Judge Aishat Opesanwo of the Lagos State High Court, Osborne Foreshore, issued an order on May 26, 2026, allowing Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited to challenge the Coroner’s Court proceedings. The order stipulated that the grant of leave would serve as a stay of the inquest until the substantive suit was settled.
The Coroner, Mrs. A.A. Adetunji; the Chief Coroner of Lagos State; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State; Dr. Ivara Esege; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; and Atlantis Paediatric Hospital Limited are among the parties engaged in the judicial review proceedings.
The Coroner’s Court’s rulings from January 21, February 25, and April 14, 2026, regarding the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Master Nkanu Adichie-Esege’s death at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos on January 7, 2026, are being contested by the hospital.
The hospital is requesting, among other things, orders of prohibition and certiorari to stop the Coroner’s Court from holding the inquiry.
It argued that the deceased’s body was unavailable for any post-mortem inspection because it had been cremated before the Coroner’s Court’s jurisdiction was activated.
In addition, the applicant challenged the Coroner’s Court’s decision requiring it to present its defense and call witnesses first during the inquiry, even though the deceased’s family had accused it of gross negligence and medical malpractice.
Opesanwo decided to grant leave since the application highlighted issues that needed judicial scrutiny and was neither frivolous nor vexatious.
“The Court is certain that the applicant has fulfilled the requirements to be granted leave. After all, the program isn’t pointless or annoying. It brings up procedural and fairness problems that should be discussed at the substantive stage,” the judge said.
In order to overturn the rulings, the court issued orders of certiorari and prohibition granting permission to initiate judicial review.
In compliance with Order 44 Rule 3(6)(a) of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, the judge further ordered that the granting of leave serve as a stay on all subsequent coroner’s inquest proceedings until the substantive application is heard and decided.
Opesanwo gave Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited instructions to serve all respondents properly and to provide its substantive documentation within 14 days.
The adjournment occurs months after Lawal Pedro, SAN, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, intervened to temporarily suspend the Coroner’s Court proceedings on May 5, 2026, and asked all parties engaged in the case to consult. At that point, the court was notified by officials of the Attorney-General’s office that the Attorney-General and all involved legal counsel had scheduled a meeting.
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