In a shocking turn that has left the Nigerian music scene reeling, fast-rising vocalist Ifunanya Nwangene, better known as Nanyah_music, passed away on January 31, 2026, after a venomous snake bite at her Abuja home.
The 25-year-old soprano, celebrated for her soulful jazz and classical performances, reportedly tied a tourniquet on her arm and rushed to two hospitals in the capital. Both facilities lacked anti-venom, the critical treatment needed to counteract the poison. Friends say she arrived conscious at the first hospital, only to be turned away without proper care. At the second, doctors placed her on a drip as her condition rapidly deteriorated.
Her brother, Kingsley Nwangene, shared a heartbreaking account, revealing her calm call to a friend: “Emy, don’t panic, but a snake has beaten me. I’m on my way to the hospital.” Despite her quick thinking and determination, the venom proved too much.
The incident has ignited widespread fury online and beyond. Many Nigerians are questioning how, in 2026 and in the nation's capital, hospitals could fail to stock basic anti-venom, a preventable oversight that turned a survivable bite into tragedy. Social media users and commentators have called it a glaring failure of the healthcare system, with some bluntly stating, “Nigeria failed you.”
Nanyah was active online that very morning, her vibrant posts now a painful reminder of a promising career cut short. Tributes continue to pour in for the talented artist once dubbed the “Soprano Queen.”
Her story underscores a deeper issue: lives lost not just to accidents, but to systemic gaps in emergency care. May she rest in peace.
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