Redeemed pastor's wife breaks silence on death of husband and children

Olabunmi Diya, wife of London-based pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Gabriel Diya, has broken silence on the death of her husband and children who died in a pool in Spain.

Gabriel, 52, his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, and daughter Comfort Diya, all drowned in a pool on Christmas Eve.

Gabriel and his son Praise had dived into one of the 21 pools at the Club La Costa World resort when they noticed Comfort was having difficulty swimming. Unfortunately, they suffered the same and were unable to be rescued before they died.

Reacting to the incident, Olabunmi stated that she believes something was wrong with the pool where they died.

“I believe something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time.

“Our family are utterly heartbroken by the events last Tuesday, but we are comforted and strengthened by our strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are deeply shocked, saddened and struggling to come to terms with their passing.

“They all brought 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.”

On the wrong information peddled on the incident, Mrs Diya stated that the children and her husband who died in the pool knew how to swim.

“The whole family, all five of us went to the pool together and were all present when the incident occurred. The children were not left unattended. We followed the instructions displayed by the poolside at all times.

“The children went into the pool using the steps but found themselves dragged into the middle, which was deeper and called for help when they could not get out. My daughter did not fall into the water.

“My husband went in via the steps trying to help the two struggling 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.”