Ifunanya Nwangene, a singer fondly remembered for her appearance on The Voice Nigeria in 2021, passed away on Saturday after she was bitten by a snake. She was 26.
Per BBC, Nwangene was sleeping at home in the West African nation’s capital city of Abuja when the snake bit her.
Videos posted on social media show a snake handler taking a snake out of her apartment, with people around the location saying, “It is a cobra!”
Nwangene was described as a “rising star” by her close friend, Sam Ezugwu, who is also the co-founder and music director of the Amemuso Choir. The deceased singer was a member of the choir.
Besides singing, Nwangene was also an architect.
Nwangene’s friend and choirmate, Hillary Obinna, also told the news outlet that she was informed her deceased friend was sleeping when the “the snake bite woke her up.” She added that two snakes were ultimately found in the house.
Nwangene initially went to a clinic to seek medical attention after the snake bit her. But she later had to go to a hospital because the clinic did not have any antivenom, BBC reported.
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Ezugwu told the news outlet that he made his way to the hospital after he was informed that Nwangene was there. He also said that one of the needed antivenoms was available at the hospital, but the other wasn’t.
“While they were trying to stabilise her, she could not speak but she could make hand gestures. She was struggling to breathe,” Ezugwu recalled.
Ezugwu said that he ultimately tried to get the other antivenom, but Nwangene had succumbed to the snake bite by the time he returned to the hospital.
But the hospital claimed in a statement that it was untrue that it did not have the antivenom. The Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, also denied allegations that staff did not provide Nwangene with proper medical care. The hospital said that those allegations were “unfounded and do not reflect the reality of the situation.”
“Our medical staff provided immediate and appropriate treatment, including resuscitation efforts, intravenous fluids, intranasal oxygen, and the administration of polyvalent snake antivenom,” the hospital added.
The hospital also said that after Nwangene underwent a “thorough but quick” review, it was determined that the snake bite had resulted in her suffering serious issues. Her condition later exacerbated before she was taken to the intensive care unit. Staff was, however, “unable to revive her.”
“We stand by the quality of care and dedication our team demonstrates daily, ” the statement added.
