Tragedy strikes for Chimamanda as she loses one of her twin boys following brief illness

NIGERIAN multiple award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has lost one of her twin sons Nkanu Nnamdi to a brief illness in tragic circumstances said to have devastated the family.

Chimamanda, 48  and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, were blessed with the twin sons nearly two years ago. Now aged 21 months, the duo were doing fine until one of them took ill recently and according to family spokesman Omawumi Ogbe, baby Nkanu passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, after a brief illness.

In a statement he issued, Mr Ogbe said the family is devastated by the loss and requested that their privacy be respected during this difficult time. It read: “We’re deeply saddened to confirm the passing of one of Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr Ivara Esege’s twin boys, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed on Wednesday, 7th of January 2026, after a brief illness. He was 21 months old.

“The family is devastated by this profound loss and we request that their privacy be respected during this incredibly difficult time. We ask for your grace and prayers as they mourn in private. No further statements will be made, and we thank the public and the media for respecting their need for seclusion during this period of immense grief.”

In 2009, Chimamanda married Nigerian doctor Ivara Esege and together, have three children, with their daughter born in 2016 and twin boys in 2024. Primarily, the family lives in the US, where Chimamanda has nationality and permanent resident status but they maintain a home in Nigeria.