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My husband and kids knew how to swim, claims Mrs Diya; widow of the RCCG pastor who drowned alongside kids.
A woman whose husband – a pastor with Redeemed Christian Church of God – and two children drowned in a resort swimming pool on the Costa del Sol on Christmas Eve has insisted all three knew how to swim.
Spanish police concluded Gabriel Diya, 52, his daughter Comfort Diya, nine, and his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, died after becoming out of their depth.
But Olubunmi Diya has denied that – and said “something was wrong with the pool” at the resort in Fuengirola.
Hotel operator Club La Costa World said the pool was “working normally”.
Earlier, Spanish media reported another of Mrs Diya’s daughters had told police the three who drowned could not swim.
Resort on the Spanish south coast where the family drowned
But, in a statement released to the media, Mrs Diya said “We never informed the police or anyone that the family members could not swim.”
She added: “I believe something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time.
“My husband went in via the steps trying to help the two struggling [children] while I ran to the nearby apartments shouting for help to assist my husband.
“By the time assistance came, the three of them were under the water.”
In response to Mrs Diya’s statement, Club La Costa World resort said: “Diligent and exhaustive police investigations into this tragedy have confirmed that the pool was working normally and there was no malfunction of any kind.
“Our sympathies remain with the family at what we understand must be a stressful and desperately upsetting time for them.”
A spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said divers retrieved Comfort’s swimming hat from the pool pump but investigators had found nothing wrong with the pool, which has since reopened.
They also confirmed there were no lifeguards at the pool because it was so small it was “not necessary”.
Paying tribute to her husband and children, Mrs Diya said she was “utterly heartbroken”.
She added: “We are deeply shocked, saddened and struggling to come to terms with their passing.
“They all brought a joy and love to the world and to everyone that crossed their path.
“We love them all dearly, will always remember them in our hearts and miss them greatly.”
Mr Diya was a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in south-east London.
Source: Opera News
The United States has delivered military supplies to Nigerian security agencies in support of ongoing operations in the country.
The United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, announced the delivery in a post on X on Tuesday.
“US forces delivered critical military supplies to our Nigerian partners in Abuja. This delivery supports Nigeria’s ongoing operations and emphasizes our shared security partnership,” AFRICOM said on X.
Nigeria in recent times has faced an upsurge of insecurity, with hundreds being kidnapped.
US forces launched airstrikes on terrorist enclaves in North-West Nigeria on Christmas Day.
Chief (Mrs.) Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo, the widow of Ogun State’s first civilian governor, Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo, has passed away at the age of 100.
Her passing was announced by her daughter, Ms Olubukunola Onabanjo, on Tuesday.
According to Ms Onabanjo, the matriarch of the Onabanjo dynasty died at the age of 100.
She said in a statement: “The family of Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo, former Governor of Ogun State, announces with deep sorrow, yet with gratitude to Almighty God, the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
“Chief (Mrs) Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo (1925–2026) was called to glory on Monday, January 11.
“We thank God for her long and fulfilled life, and for the enduring legacy of love, strength and faith she leaves behind.
“May her soul rest in perfect peace.”
News
Emulate Oyebanji’s Humility: Fayose Urges Fubara To Reconcile With Wike Following Impeachment Crisis
Amid the political rivalry with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ayodele Fayose, on Tuesday, urged Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State to emulate his counterpart from Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji.
Fayose said Fubara should be like Oyebanji who once begged him for support.
Speaking in an interview, Tuesday, on Arise Television, Fayose urged Fubara to be humble to Wike because the Minister gave him the platform.
He said: “May I say this to you and to Nigerians, you brought up, like the example I have given, you brought up your child, you trained her, and somebody says I want to marry this girl.
“The credit goes to you. If you have left that girl rotten, ordinary carpenters and people who have no capacity will be chasing her.
“He must have capacity at different levels of life. Life is about level by level. God has graduated this life like a pyramid, you have Asiwaju up there, the governors, the ministers, everybody is at a level.
“You can’t tell me, majority of times, you can’t tell me a man who is down the ladder wants to marry a queen somewhere. They will tell you, you don’t have the capacity.
“So let’s go back to the issues, everybody must have helped everybody in life. But God in himself, God says I hate ingratitude. I will only fight with what I have left.
“You can’t sack Wike from Rivers politics, you can’t sack me from Ekiti politics. I’m not supposed to say what I want to say to you now and I will say it to you.
“It’s about Ekiti politics. I was in this house three years ago. The current governor of Ekiti is of the APC extraction. I am of the PDP. He came to this house, he said, leader, I would want to visit with you. I said, you’re welcome, Your Excellency.
“He came here and sat on the chair and said, Your Excellency, I want to beg you, I want you to come to my support and my aid. I want you to stand by me in this government. I didn’t go to him. He’s the governor. He deserves all honour.”
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