A Lagos State High Court has temporarily suspended proceedings in the coroner’s inquest investigating the death of the son of celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and medical doctor Ivara Esege.
The ruling was delivered by Justice A.O. Opesanwo of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Osborne, Ikoyi, following an ex parte application filed by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, operators of the Victoria Island hospital linked to the child’s death on January 7, 2026.
The hospital is seeking a judicial review of the ongoing coroner’s proceedings and has questioned whether the inquest should continue under the current circumstances.
According to court documents, the medical facility argued that the coroner may lack jurisdiction to continue the investigation because the child’s remains were allegedly cremated before the inquest began.
The hospital’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Professor Taiwo Osipitan, also challenged parts of the proceedings, including a directive asking the hospital to begin presenting its defence and witnesses before other issues were resolved.
Those listed as respondents 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 delivering the ruling, Justice Opesanwo stated that the application before the court raised significant legal and procedural concerns that deserved proper examination.
“The application is not frivolous or vexatious. It raises issues of procedure and fairness that ought to be ventilated at the substantive stage,” the court held.
As a result of the ruling, all proceedings before the coroner have been placed on hold pending further determination of the application.
The court also granted Eurapharma Care Services 14 days to file its substantive judicial review application, while the matter was adjourned until June 9, 2026, for further proceedings.