The coroner’s inquest into the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Nnamdi Esege, son of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the renown Nigerian author, has been thrown into uncertainty following revelations that the child was cremated, leaving the court without primary forensic evidence to determine the real cause of death.
The development has sparked public debate, with many Nigerians questioning whether cremation is supported by law, while others argue that it creates a significant evidentiary gap, as an autopsy would have been crucial in establishing the exact cause of death.
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Cremation is the practice of disposing of a deceased person’s body through burning, often carried out as part of funeral rites. Although it is not widely practiced in Nigeria, Lagos State has a legal framework that permits cremation.
