Hero Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole who died trying to save women in Thames nominated for bravery award

Father pays tribute to hero who died trying to save woman who fell from London Bridge
Malcolm World Foundation
Sarah Harvey30 April 2021

A 20-year-old man who died after jumping into the River Thames to save a woman has been put forward for a bravery award.

City of London Police have contacted the Royal Humane Society to nominate Folajimi ‘Jimi’ Olubunmi-Adewole, adding it is "absolutely right" that his "bravery and selfless actions" are recognised.

The force is also looking to award him with a commendation from Commissioner Ian Dyson.

As the plans were announced, Mr Olubunmi-Adewole's family described him as a "loving son" and "best friend" who is "irreplaceable".

Mr Olubunmi-Adewole was on his way home from work at a central London restaurant when he entered the water about midnight last Saturday after spotting a woman fall from London Bridge.

A City of London Police spokesman said: "We feel that is absolutely right to recognise the bravery and selfless actions of Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, known as Jimi.

"To honour his memory and heroism, we have contacted the Royal Humane Society to start the nomination process for their bravery award, and we are also looking to award Jimi a commissioner's commendation from the City of London Police.

"Our thoughts remain with his friends and family at this difficult time."

In statements through the force, his father Michael Adewola said: "Jimi is a loving son and my best friend. He has a good heart and always willing to help everyone around him. I'll forever miss him."

His mother Olasunkanmi Adewole said: "My son Jimi is my strength, he takes care of me and everyone. I'm empty without Jimi. I pray to have peace in my life."

His brother described him as "irreplaceable" and "the most generous person".

City of London Police previously said two men entered the water after seeing a woman fall from the bridge last Saturday.

The coastguard and the Metropolitan Police marine unit rescued the woman and one man, but could not locate the other man.

A body was found at 6am on Saturday morning, police said, which was later formally identified as Mr Olubunmi-Adewole.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in