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Ifunanya Nwangene: Gospel singer who died after snakebite laid to rest in emotional burial
14th February, 2026 08:53 PM
Fast-rising Nigerian gospel singer Ifunanya Nwangene, who died on January 31, 2026, after a snake slithered into her bedroom in Abuja and bit her, has been laid to rest in a deeply emotional ceremony.
The burial was attended by close family members, colleagues from the gospel music fraternity, and leaders of the Nigerian Catholic Church, where she had been an active choir member before her untimely passing.
In a video shared on TikTok, Ifunanya’s white casket is seen placed on a raised platform adorned with neatly arranged flowers, as mourners took turns bowing before it while the burial ceremony began.
After the church service, the casket was placed into a hearse and proceeded to her hometown of Nkanu East in Abuja, where a shallow grave had been prepared ahead of the final rites.
Her white casket was then lowered slowly as men who had positioned themselves inside the grave waited to receive it from those on the ground and lay it carefully and respectfully in its resting place.
Amid the solemn occasion, family members openly broke down in grief while choirs kept singing sorrowful hymns as they remembered her service to the church and her promising music career, which was tragically cut short.
Untimely demise
While speaking in an interview days after her demise, Ifunanya’s father, Christopher Nwangene, narrated how heartbreaking the incident was, saying she had been resting in her bedroom when she suddenly felt a sharp and excruciating pain in her leg.
The father recalled attempting traditional first-aid remedies for snake bites, including applying a tourniquet and tightly tying a piece of cloth above the bite in an effort to slow the spread of venom.
While the cloth method had initially seemed to stabilise her, the father narrated that upon arrival at the hospital, the cloth was removed and she was put on a drip, a move that quickly made her start losing her strength and energy.
“A snake came up on her bed and bit her. Immediately, they gave her the drip, and the little girl started going down immediately. She said, ‘Daddy, I cannot speak,’” Nwangene recalled.
Nwangene then died hours later in a heartbreaking manner that left everyone who knew her, including those who had only followed her music, in deep mourning.
She was a well-known soprano singer in Nigeria who had come of age a few years ago on the local version of the TV competition The Voice Nigeria, where her powerful vocals first captured national attention.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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