By Jane Okafor, Abuja
Fast rising beautiful singer, Ifunanya Nwangele, has reportedly lost her life after she was bitten by snakes while sleeping in her Abuja home.
The snakes were later identified as cobras and caught alive by snake catchers.
Ifunanya, popularly called Nanya_music or Soprano Queen, was a chorister in Abuja died on Saturday, January 31.
The 25 – year – old singer was said to have driven herself to the hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but sadly, no anti-venom was administered on time before the venom from the cobra bite turned lethal.
Many on social media claimed the snakes are not ordinary, that they were spiritually projected to attack the singer and strike her dead.
Magical and superstitious ideas such as these are rife in many Nigerian communities, fuelling unorthodox practices, influencing decision making process regarding treatment methods in time of health emergency and where to seek help.
However, the fact the snakes were seen, identified and caught alive by snake catches, both ridiculed and punctured the belief that the deadly venomous cobras were spiritual.
The incident also calls to question, the preparedness of the Nigerian healthcare system to handle emergency. How many public health facilities in Nigeria have anti – snake venoms?
Reacting to the devastating news, a popular doctor identifying on social media as X Olufunmilayo revealed that deaths from snake bites have since been eliminated in many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom(UK) where he resides.
He recalled that the last time a snake bite k!lled anyone in the UK was 50 years ago and that in the last 145 years, less than 15 people have died from snake bite in the UK, wondering why anyone should have to die from snake bite in Nigeria in 2026.
