Farnworth: Sadness after death of father of three young children

Family and friends have been left devastated after the death of dad who leaves behind a wife and three young children.

Olabanji Agboola died in his home on November 27 after a year and half battle with liver cancer.

Friend and colleague Gbemisola Obey paid tribute to Olabanji, who she described as a 'good person with a warm smile'.

She said: “He was a very calm person, down to earth and always willing to help. He had a warm smile and was a good person.

“Everyone I told [of his passing] was literally crying.”

The 44-year-old arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2022, on a student-dependent visa as his wife is currently studying here.

However, since she is a student she can only legally work for 20 hours a week, and now has to support their three children by herself.

Their three children are ages 10, eight and five.

Olabanji was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer in March 2023. He was being treated at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

Gbemisola, who lives in Farnworth, became close friends with Olabanji as they are both originally from Nigeria.

She has started a GoFundMe page to pay for his funeral and hopefully help his family.

She said: “I just took it upon myself to create a GoFundMe for him – I understand [his family] are really struggling.”

Gbemisola said that even as Olabanji got more ill, he kept coming into work until he was physically unable to – in order to provide for his family.

She said: “He was a very good person, it’s unfortunate that this would happen to somebody like him – he didn’t smoke and he didn’t drink.

“The goal is to be able to get him a good place to be laid to rest, they can’t get him back to Nigeria because it’s too expensive.

“Hopefully with anything left over, they will be able to take care of themselves.”

To support the fundraiser, visit gofundme.com and search 'IN LOVING MEMORY OF MR OLABANJI',

Sadness after death of father of three young children