The Voice Nigeria’s singer Ifunanya Nwangene has died at the age of 26 after a deadly snake bite.
The soprano competed in the 2021 series three of the local singing competition and was eliminated in the knockout rounds.
She is reported to have been bitten by a snake while asleep in her home in Abuja, where two snakes were later found after she sought treatment from a nearby clinic that did not have antivenom.
Nwangene then went to a hospital, which reportedly only had one of the two antivenoms required, according to a friend.
Sam Ezugwu, the co-founder and music director of the Amemuso Choir, where Nwangene also sang, told the BBC he rushed to the hospital to be by her side and later left to find the second antivenom.
He said: ‘While they were trying to stabilise her, she could not speak but she could make hand gestures. She was struggling to breathe.’
![Ifunanya Nwangene, a rising singer who appeared on season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has died after suffering a snake bite. She was 26, according to BBC Africa. Music director Sam C. Ezugwu with Amemuso Choir, which Nwangene participated in, confirmed her ?sudden? death in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday, Feb. 1. Nwangene died ?due to a snake bite? at a Nigerian hospital on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to the statement. ?Amemuso Choir [regrets] to announce the sudden demise of our beloved soprano,? the choir wrote. ?A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed.? Nwangene, originally born in Enugu, was bitten by a snake in Abuja, where she lived, according to BBC Africa. The outlet spoke with several of her fellow choir members, including Hillary Obinna, who shared more details about the fatal bite.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SEI_283275349-aaac.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![Ifunanya Nwangene, a rising singer who appeared on season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has died after suffering a snake bite. She was 26, according to BBC Africa. Music director Sam C. Ezugwu with Amemuso Choir, which Nwangene participated in, confirmed her ?sudden? death in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday, Feb. 1. Nwangene died ?due to a snake bite? at a Nigerian hospital on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to the statement. ?Amemuso Choir [regrets] to announce the sudden demise of our beloved soprano,? the choir wrote. ?A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed.? Nwangene, originally born in Enugu, was bitten by a snake in Abuja, where she lived, according to BBC Africa. The outlet spoke with several of her fellow choir members, including Hillary Obinna, who shared more details about the fatal bite.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SEI_283275368-5451.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
He went on to say that when he returned to the hospital, she had died.
The hospital said in a statement to BBC Africa that the antivenom had been available and that claims its response was inadequate were ‘unfounded and do not reflect the reality of the situation’.
The Federal Medical Centre, Jabi told the publication in a statement: ‘Our medical staff provided immediate and appropriate treatment, including resuscitation efforts, intravenous fluids, intranasal oxygen, and the administration of polyvalent snake antivenom.’
The statement from the centre said that a ‘thorough but quick’ assessment of Nwangene showed that she had suffered ‘severe’ complications from the snake bite.
![Ifunanya Nwangene, a rising singer who appeared on season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has died after suffering a snake bite. She was 26, according to BBC Africa. Music director Sam C. Ezugwu with Amemuso Choir, which Nwangene participated in, confirmed her ?sudden? death in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday, Feb. 1. Nwangene died ?due to a snake bite? at a Nigerian hospital on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to the statement. ?Amemuso Choir [regrets] to announce the sudden demise of our beloved soprano,? the choir wrote. ?A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed.? Nwangene, originally born in Enugu, was bitten by a snake in Abuja, where she lived, according to BBC Africa. The outlet spoke with several of her fellow choir members, including Hillary Obinna, who shared more details about the fatal bite.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SEI_283275361-3023.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Her condition is said to have ‘suddenly deteriorated’ before she was moved to intensive care, when medics were ‘unable to revive her’.
The statement concluded: ‘We stand by the quality of care and dedication our team demonstrates daily.’
Nwangene, who was also a trained architect, had been planning to stage her first solo concert later this year.
Her friend Hillary Obinna described her to the BBC as ‘a very wonderful girl, she is humble, very intelligent and very talented’.
‘Everybody is shattered. We could not sleep at night,’ Obinna said.
Metro contacted The Federal Medical Centre for comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.