Femi Ashekun/
The sister-in-law of late Nigerian singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, professionally known as Nanyah, has given a detailed account of the events that followed the snake bite which led to the artiste’s death, raising fresh questions about emergency response and access to urgent care.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Blessing Oduche, said the incident began when Nwangene was bitten by a snake inside her residence in the Lugbe area of Abuja.
According to her, the situation was mishandled from the outset, with crucial time lost before the singer could be taken to a hospital.
Oduche said security personnel in the estate initially focused on locating the snake rather than ensuring immediate medical evacuation, despite the visible seriousness of the bite.
She described the reptile as a large snake, later believed to be a cobra.
She further explained that attempts to transport Nwangene to a nearby hospital were delayed when a neighbour’s vehicle offered for the emergency failed to start.
As a result, the singer reportedly walked and ran from her home to the estate gate, where she eventually boarded a commercial motorcycle to a nearby medical facility.
According to Oduche, the snake bite occurred between 8.30am and 9am, but Nwangene did not reach the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, until around 10am.
By the time she arrived at the tertiary hospital, her condition had deteriorated significantly.
Although she was attended to by medical personnel, efforts to stabilise her reportedly proved unsuccessful.
She was later pronounced dead, sparking public outrage and widespread debate on social media over the handling of snake bite emergencies and the availability of life-saving treatment in Nigerian hospitals.
Nwangene, an Enugu-born artiste and former contestant on The Voice Nigeria, had been gaining recognition in the music industry before her death.
Her passing has since renewed calls for clearer emergency protocols, faster response times, and improved public awareness on how to handle snake bite incidents.
Authorities have yet to issue a detailed official account of the medical response, but the tragedy has continued to draw attention to longstanding concerns about emergency healthcare preparedness across the country.
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