Ifunanya Nwangene, a contestant from the third season of The Voice Nigeria, has died at the age of 26 after being bitten by a snake at her apartment in Abuja. The incident occurred while she was asleep, according to a friend, and she was taken to a hospital after a nearby clinic lacked antivenom.
Another friend, Sam Ezugwu, said the hospital had only one of the two required antivenoms. He drove to obtain the second but returned to find Nwangene had died. However, the Federal Medical Centre denied that antivenom was unavailable, stating that staff provided immediate treatment including polyvalent snake antivenom, and that she suffered complications from the bite.
Nwangene appeared on The Voice Nigeria in 2021, impressing judges with a rendition of Rihanna's 'Take a Bow' at her blind audition. She was a member of the Amemuso Choir and was planning her first solo concert later this year.
Nigeria has around 2,000 deaths annually from venomous snakebites, one of the highest rates globally, according to local media. The World Health Organization estimates between 435,000 and 580,000 snakebites require treatment in Africa each year.
