Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says the death of her 21-month-old son has changed her feelings about Nigeria, and she now does not want to return there. Multiple outlets report that in an interview with The New York Times, Adichie states, “My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
The reports also describe the circumstances of her son Nkanu’s death. They say he died in January 2026 after a medical emergency at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos. The family was in Nigeria for Christmas when the child fell ill, was taken for hospital treatment including sedation for an MRI, and later suffered cardiac arrest.
Outlets note that Adichie has previously accused the hospital of negligence, and that an inquest into the death remains ongoing. None of the sources present a different account of her statement about not returning; the emphasis varies mainly in how they frame the impact of the loss and her broader connection to Nigeria, including references to her surviving children.
