Popular Nigerian transgender, Fola Francis has drowned while swimming at the Pop Beach Club in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Wakadaily gathered that the unfortunate incident happened on 20 December 2023, at about 12pm while the 29-year-old was holding a birthday hangout with some friends.

An eyewitness who spoke with newsmen on Sunday said, “The celebrant came with 11 friends including the victim around 12 pm. They were having fun when about four of them went to swim in the beach. After spending about 30 minutes swimming, we could no longer see them again. The next moment we saw them, they were already struggling in the water. That was when we alerted the lifeguards who went into the sea to rescue them. They were only able to rescue three of them.

“After they searched for the remaining one and could not find him, the management went to the police station to report the incident. By the time a team of police arrived, the management had also gone to hire local divers who came to begin another round of search for the missing person. The search lasted till the evening but he was not found.”

Vincent Desmond, a freelance journalist, announced the deceased passage in a statement on Friday.

“Fola Francis was a beacon of hope and a light to us and a lot of other people. We are deeply hurt by her passing.

“There will be a memorial which will be discussed at a later date, as we her friends and family ask for privacy at this time.”