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“We were in Lagos for Christmas. Nkanu had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection and he was admitted to Atlantis hospital. He was to travel to the US the next day, January 7th, accompanied by Travelling Doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore. The Hopkins team had asked for a lumbar puncture test and an MRI. The Nigerian team had also decided to put in a 'central line' (used to administer iv medications) in preparation for Nkanu's flight. Atlantis hospital referred us to Euracare Hospital, which was said to be the best place to have the procedures done. The morning of the 6th, we left Atlantis hospital for Euracare, Nkanu carried in his father's arms. We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the 'central line' procedure. I was waiting just outside the theater. I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theater and immediately knew something had happened. A short time later, Dr M came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist, had become unresponsive and was quickly resuscitated. But suddenly Nkanu was on a ventilator, he was intubated and placed in the ICU. The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone It turns out that Nkanu was NEVER monitored after being given too much propofol. The anesthesiologist had just casually carried Nkanu on his shoulder to the theater, so nobody knows when exactly Nkanu became unresponsive. How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him? Later, after the 'central line' procedure, the anesthesiologist casually switched off Nkanu's oxygen and again decided to carry him on his shoulder to the ICU! The anesthesiologist was CRIMINALLY negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed. We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day. We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever. It is like living your worst nightmare. I will never survive the loss of my child. We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working? This must never happen to another child”. CNA

I just sent this to a top official at the US State Department, who has been corresponding with me: I’m thankful for the attention this is finally getting. Sanctions won’t do much. They will simply pivot to China. In my humble opinion, the path forward is: 1) An immediate CODEL to visit the denied IDP concentration camps, mass graves and other sites of atrocities, and interview eyewitnesses. Leaders here still don’t seem to grasp the reality on the ground. I will be happy to help coordinate this on the Nigerian side. A number of prominent journalists have already expressed interest in participating. 2) This will expose the current Tinubu administration to charges of genocide for their intentional and systematic denial, grinding down and slow killing of millions of “off book” IDPs. This well-precedented avenue of justice is separate from the ongoing killings in the North, and just with the information I have it should be an open and shut case. 3) Investigate the Sokoto Caliphate as likely international terrorist organization, designate if the mountain of evidence against the Sultan is confirmed. Then take the gloves off. 4) Focus on serving and restoring the displaced — Open Doors estimates some 2 million will be radicalized by 2030 without intervention. That would be apocalyptic. Significant international aid is being withheld because the government denies their existence. Time is short. Indicting the administration and classifying the caliphate will open up much greater tools for addressing the heart of the problem. Identifying the scope of the IDP crisis will open the floodgates of not just funding, but political support. I’m afraid everything else is just window dressing. The people in Nigeria are good, hopeful, resilient, faithful and bright. If the stranglehold around their throats was lessened, I am quite certain they would establish a peaceful, equitable and prosperous nation — a beacon of hope in Africa, and an ally for the ages.