‘Nanyah told doctors a grey snake bit her’, Choir Director gives full account of rising singer, Nanyah’s death

Fresh details have emerged on the circumstances surrounding the death of 25-year-old Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Lucy Nwangene, popularly known as Nanyah, who died at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, after being bitten by a snake in her apartment in Lugbe.

Nanyah, a classical, jazz, R&B, and soul singer, was said to have battled for hours to get medical help after the reptile allegedly bit her on the wrist while she was asleep in her room on Saturday morning.

Narrating the sequence of events, the Director of the Amemuso Choir that Nanyah belonged to, Mr Sam C. Ezugwu, described the incident as a desperate race against time that ended in tragedy.

According to Ezugwu, the first alarm was raised at exactly 10:13 am when a choir member identified as Stephanie posted an urgent message in the group’s WhatsApp platform asking if anyone was around the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja.

“I immediately called her to ask what was wrong, and she told me Ifunanya had been bitten by a snake,” Ezugwu said.

He explained that he quickly contacted another choir member, Vincent, who handles emergency situations, and asked him to proceed to FMC, while he also rushed to the hospital alongside Nanyah’s close friend, Paschal.

“When we arrived, the doctors were already attending to her. She was struggling to breathe, placed on oxygen and could not speak, though she tried to communicate with hand gestures,” he said.

Ezugwu added that one of the doctors confirmed that the singer arrived at the emergency ward by herself and explained that she had seen a grey snake that bit her.

He said Nanyah’s uncle, identified as Mr Joseph, was also present as doctors placed her on a drip and administered antivenom alongside other medications.

However, as treatment continued, the medical team reportedly informed the family that the hospital urgently needed Neostigmine and additional doses of drugs already administered, noting that FMC had exhausted its supply.

Ezugwu said it was later confirmed that the drug was available at Skylark Pharmacy near the National Hospital, prompting him and Vincent to drive out to purchase it.

“While we were away, we kept calling to ask about her condition, but when we returned to the emergency ward, we met her lifeless on the bed,” he said.

The development sparked an outpouring of grief as members of the Amemuso Choir and other friends gathered at the hospital.

Further accounts from neighbours revealed that Nanyah was bitten between 8 am and 9 am in her room. They reportedly tied her hand to slow the spread of the venom and encouraged her to seek medical help immediately.

A neighbour was said to have attempted to take her to the hospital, but the car failed to start. She then ran about 500 metres to the estate gate, boarded a motorcycle and went to Divine Health Hospital in Lugbe.

According to Ezugwu, the hospital reportedly told her they had no antivenom and referred her to FMC, Abuja.

While in transit to FMC around 9:40 am, Nanyah contacted family members, friends and choir colleagues to inform them of her condition.

Throughout the ordeal, Ezugwu said her father, Mr Nwangene, was kept informed and had begun making arrangements for an ambulance and the possible transfer to Enugu, as her condition deteriorated.

The singer’s death has sparked widespread grief on social media, with many Nigerians lamenting delays in emergency care and the lack of essential life-saving drugs in public hospitals.

Nanyah was regarded as a fast-rising talent in Nigeria’s alternative music space, known for her powerful vocals and genre-blending sound.

Her passing has renewed calls for improved emergency response systems and better-equipped health facilities across the country.