Court strikes out hospital’s bid to stop Adichie son’s inquest

The Lagos State High Court in Ikoyi dismissed an application by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, the operators of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, to halt the coroner's inquest into the death of Nkanu Esege, the son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie. Justice Aishat Opesanwo ruled against the hospital's arguments that the cremation of the deceased's body denied the coroner jurisdiction to conduct the inquest and that the order for receiving evidence infringed the hospital's right to a fair hearing.

The judge affirmed that the inquest was mandated by law and that the absence of the deceased's body did not invalidate the coroner's decision to proceed. Euracare contested the coroner's jurisdiction due to cremation and objected to the sequence of evidence presentation, but Justice Opesanwo emphasized the coroner's duty based on statutory obligation and the coroner's discretion in determining the order of evidence presentation, which did not violate fair hearing principles.