Ifunanya Nwangene, an up-and-coming singer who captivated audiences on The Voice Nigeria by singing Rihanna’s “Take a Bow,” has died from a snake bite. She is 26 years old.
The incident occurred on Saturday at her home in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, when she was bitten on the wrist by a cobra while she was sleeping, according to Sam Ezugwu, leader of her Amemuso choir.
Video circulating on social media shows a snake handler removing a medium-sized snake from her apartment. Ezugwu said a total of two snakes were extracted.
“She died in my hands,” said Paschal Nworgu, her closest friend.
Nwolgu told CNN he was at her bedside after a nearby clinic where she initially went for treatment told her they didn’t have antivenom.
Nwolgu said he arrived at Jabi Federal Medical Center Hospital with Ezugwu at noon on Saturday, two hours after he received a WhatsApp message from Nwangi informing him that he had been bitten by a snake.
Nwolgu said when they arrived, they saw her panting and doctors trying to stabilize her. “She didn’t speak. She just gestured,” Nwogu said.
Ezugwu said although Nwangieng received a necessary antivenom at the Jabi Federal Medical Centre, the facility did not provide another antivenom needed for treatment.
“Unfortunately, the dose they gave her was the last dose left in the hospital pharmacy, so they asked us to buy more,” he told CNN.
The Federal Medical Center in Jabi denies that it has run out of antivenom and stands by the care provided by its staff.
Ezugwu said he went in search of antivenom but learned of Nwangi’s death shortly after.
The hospital said in a statement Sunday that staff “acted quickly and with an abundance of caution” upon Nwagene’s arrival, but said she suffered severe neurotoxic complications.
“Our medical staff immediately provided appropriate treatment, including resuscitation, intravenous fluids, intranasal oxygen and injection of polyvalent snake antivenom,” the statement added.
However, Nwageni’s condition “suddenly deteriorated” before she was transferred to intensive care, the hospital said, adding that staff attempted CPR and “other life-saving measures” but were unable to save her.
“We stand by the quality of care and dedication our team demonstrates every day,” the hospital statement said. “Contributions of unavailability of antivenom and inadequate response are unfounded and do not reflect the actual situation.”
“A rising star”
The Amemuso Choir expressed condolences on Nwangi’s passing, describing her as “a rising star” who was “about to share her incredible talent with the world”.
Ezugwu hailed her as “the embodiment of music”, stressing her versatility in both classical and popular genres. Nwolgu, who often performs with her, said one of her biggest dreams is to sing on Broadway.
Ifunanya Nwangene sings with Paschal Nworgu at a concert in Abuja on November 9, 2025. – Contributed by Paschal Nworgu
Recently, Nwangien completed French courses and quit her job as an architect to focus on her music career, Nwogu said.
“I felt like I was dead, I couldn’t count how many times I broke down,” he said, calling her death “the most painful thing in my life.”
health care criticism
Nwangeni’s death sparked widespread outrage among Nigerians, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the country’s health care system.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong wrote on
In response to the public outcry, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health forwarded a statement from the Federal Medical Center in Jabi expressing condolences to Nwangeni’s family.
Last month, Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pat acknowledged that the country’s healthcare system faced “systemic challenges in ensuring consistent quality of care and patient safety” and announced the creation of a national task force to address the issues.
The task force was set up in the wake of widespread outrage over the death of the 21-month-old son of renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in a Lagos hospital. The novelist’s legal representatives accused the hospital of negligence, a claim the hospital denied.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that “snake bites are a neglected public health problem in many tropical and subtropical countries”. The organization estimates that more than 5 million people are bitten by snakes each year, resulting in about 100,000 deaths each year.
“Most of these occur in Africa, Asia and Latin America,” the World Health Organization said. It noted in a 2018 report that there have been concerns about “the insufficient supply of safe, effective antivenom immunoglobulin products in sub-Saharan Africa.”
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