Nigerian music star, Alexander Adegbola Akande, popularly known as 9ice, has revealed a terrifying chapter of his life, a mysterious illness he describes as a “spiritual attack” that left him vomiting blood continuously for six months.
In a recent interview on The Nancy Isime Show, the Gongo Aso crooner opened up about the frightening experience, which he said happened around 2009 to 2010.
According to him, it wasn’t a medical condition, but something far deeper and spiritual.
“It wasn’t something the hospital could explain,” 9ice said. “I was vomiting blood every day for six months. It got so bad, I had to leave my own house.”
The singer explained that he eventually found relief after being introduced to an Ifa priest.
That moment, he said, marked the beginning of his spiritual transformation.
“That was the first time I experienced Ifa,” he recalled. “Someone referred me, and I got my healing. Since then, I’ve come to understand myself better.”
9ice further disclosed that he does not subscribe to Christianity or Islam. “I’m not a Christian or a Muslim. I’m a Babalawo, an African traditionalist,” he said boldly. “I just wish I had embraced Ifa earlier.”
Reflecting on the criticism some traditionalists face, he mentioned the late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, “Fela used to go to Ogun and people mocked him. But now, I understand what he saw. Africans need to reconnect with their roots.”
The award-winning artist urged Africans to take pride in their traditional religion and stop viewing it through the lens of shame or fear.
“It’s who we are,” he stressed. “Our ancestors weren’t wrong. We just abandoned our identity.”
The singer’s candid revelation adds to the growing conversations around spirituality, identity, and African heritage in the entertainment industry.
