The entertainment world has been left in shock following the sudden death of a young singer who had been steadily building a name for herself on Nigeria’s vibrant music scene.
Friends and fellow musicians have been paying tribute to the 26-year-old, describing her as a rare talent whose voice and presence left a lasting impression both on and off stage. Known online as NANYAH, she had gained national attention through her appearance on The Voice and was widely regarded as a rising star.
In recent months, her career appeared to be gathering momentum. She had been planning her first solo concert and had teased an upcoming collaboration with fellow Nigerian artist Tbrass. Those close to her said she was deeply committed to her craft and excited about what lay ahead, making the news of her death all the more devastating.
The announcement was confirmed by the AMEMUSO choir, where she was an active member. In a statement shared on Facebook, choir announcer Sam Ezugwu wrote: “With painful heart, we announce the demise of Ifunanya Nwangene Nanyah.” The choir also described her as a ‘rising star’ who was ‘on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world.’
It has now emerged that the singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, died after being bitten by a snake while she slept in her apartment in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to reports shared by the BBC, Nwangene woke up after feeling a sharp pain in her leg and was rushed to a local clinic. However, the facility reportedly did not have antivenom available to treat the bite. She was later transferred to a hospital, where efforts were made to stabilise her condition.
Ezugwu later explained the severity of the situation, saying: “While they were trying to stabilise her, she could not speak, but she could make hand gestures. She was struggling to breathe.” The hospital was said to have only one of the two antivenom doses required, prompting Ezugwu to search urgently for the second dose. Tragically, Nwangene was pronounced dead before he could return.
Animal control officials were later called to her apartment, where two snakes were reportedly captured. In a video shared on social media, a voice can be heard shouting: “It’s a cobra” as the snakes were removed from the property.
Nwangene had specifically appeared on season three of The Voice Nigeria, where she performed Rihanna’s Take A Bow at her audition. Her powerful performance impressed the judges, with two turning their chairs. She ultimately chose to join singer Waje’s team and made it through to the knockout round of the competition.
Following her death, Tbrass shared an emotional tribute on Instagram, writing: “An irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large.” He added: “The pain of saying goodbye to someone whose voice and energy brought joy, inspiration, and even healing to many is heavy.”
This sadly isn’t a rare issue in countries like Nigeria, with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that tropical and subtropical countries face snake bites as an issue that faces regular neglect in terms of public health; Africa alone records 435,000 and 580,000 snakebites needing treatment each year.
Along with 30,000 deaths taking place in sub-Saharan Africa each year, a major shortage of antivenom is also met with any available doses being far too expensive — or unstorageable, as they require refrigeration, and electricity in African areas can be too unreliable to do so.