Olubunmi Diya, whose husband and two children died on Christmas Eve in a swimming pool while on vacation in Spain, has hired a lawyer to dispute claims they could not swim.
Mrs Diya has had a hard time convincing authorities that the deceased knew how to swim and that something was wrong with the pool.
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Gabriel Diya, 52, who pastored Open Heavens parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Charlton, London, died in a hotel pool on the Costa del Sol, alongside his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, and daughter Comfort Diya, nine.
The resort management have repeatedly claimed there ‘was no malfunction of any kind’ at the pool after Spanish Police found Comfort’s swimming hat in the suction system.
Olubunmi, 49, is understood to have hired a lawyer, Javier Toro, who is based in Fuengirola, a town on the Costa del Sol.
Mrs Diya’s comments contradict that of her surviving daughter, Favour, whom reports claimed said the family didn’t know how to swim.
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Spokesman for the Civil Guard union AUGC, Francisco Gonzalez, was quoted saying: “The surviving sister has said they didn’t know how to swim.
“With that information and the fact we know the water in the pool was very cold, the mystery of what caused this awful tragedy begins to unravel itself.”
The heartbroken mother told Sky News on Friday that something must have been “wrong with the pool that made swimming difficult for them at that point in time.”
“The children were not left unattended. We followed the instructions displayed by the poolside at all times. 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,” she said in a statement.
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Resort management said on Wednesday night that the Civil Guard had given them permission to reopen the pool to the public, a move that attracted backlash.
The force, however, insisted it had never authorised the reopening of the pool because the resort operator was responsible for the holiday complex and the safety of its holidaymakers, and police had never closed it in the first place.
Olubunmi, an assistant pastor and systems analyst who owns her own software firm, is due to return to the UK on Saturday with her surviving daughter.
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They are currently being comforted by relatives who flew to Spain from Britain.
It is not yet clear whether they will delay their return or fly back home as scheduled.
