A 26-year-old woman who was a contestant on the Nigerian version of The Voice has died after a snake bit her while she slept.
Ifunanya Nwangene appeared on Nigeria's version of The Voice in 2021 and worked as an architect, but had also undertaken a career as a singer, with plans to hold her first solo concert later on this year.
Her friend Hillary Obinna told the BBC he'd heard Ifunanya had been asleep when 'the snake bite woke her up', and that two snakes were found at her apartment.
They also report that footage is circulating on social media which shows a snake handler removing a serpent from her home with people calling it a 'cobra' as it is carried out.
The architect and singer first tried to seek treatment for the snake bite at a local clinic, but they did not have anti-venom and she went to hospital instead.
Another friend, Sam Ezugwu, claimed that the hospital had one of the anti-venoms Ifunanya needed but not the other, saying that he went out driving to try and acquire some but by the time he returned to the hospital she had died.
He said: "While they were trying to stabilise her, she could not speak but she could make hand gestures. She was struggling to breathe."
Ezugwu, the music director of a choir where the woman sang, said they had all gone to the hospital on Saturday (31 January) 'hoping that a miracle would happen'.
However, the hospital said in a statement that they denied the antivenom was unavailable, and that any claims they had responded inadequately were 'unfounded and do not reflect the reality of the situation'.
The Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, told the BBC: "Our medical staff provided immediate and appropriate treatment, including resuscitation efforts, intravenous fluids, intranasal oxygen, and the administration of polyvalent snake antivenom."
They said the woman had experienced complications from the snake bite and her condition deteriorated before she was transferred to intensive care with medics 'unable to revive her'.
A Nigerian musician named Tbrass posted a tribute to her showing that on 28 January, just days before she died, she had been recording with him for his next album.
He said her death was 'an irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large', calling the 26-year-old a 'young promising great, talented music artist who touched so many lives'.
He said: "The pain of saying goodbye to someone whose voice and energy brought joy, inspiration, and even healing to many is heavy.
"From her unique voice, to the stories she told through songs, and the way she represented our culture and struggles, Nanya was a true artist who left an irreplaceable mark."
Topics: World News, Music
Joe Harker