Following the tragic death of 25-year-old Abuja singer Ifunaya Nwangene, who was bitten by a snake in her own bedroom, a leading public health expert has explained why snakes enter homes, linking it directly to common landscaping habits and highlighting the urgent need for mass health education.
According to a report by ARISE News on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, the former Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), explained the predatory nature of snakes during an interview. “Snakes are usually ambush predators. They like to hide. They sneak, and so they like bushy areas,” he stated.
He provided a clear cause-and-effect warning for homeowners, noting, “If you are living in any environment and you allow bush to grow around your house, you definitely have the snakes coming in and out of your abode.” Unkempt bushes serve as a thriving ecosystem for the snake’s prey, including rodents, lizards, and cockroaches.
Professor Nasidi went further to advise, “So if you don’t want snake to enter your house, you definitely have to take care of your environment. Clear them, clear the bushes and so on and so forth.” This simple act of environmental hygiene removes both the hiding spots for snakes and the food sources that attract them, creating a less hospitable perimeter around living spaces.
He emphasized that this is a widespread risk, particularly for those living in savannah regions, and stressed that proactive public awareness is key—especially since encounters can happen anywhere, as evidenced by Ifunaya’s case in her urban bedroom. “What is so crucial is health education, health communication to let people know that yes, we could be living with these snakes in our environment,” he stated.