A Nigerian woman, June Ashimola, who was falsely declared dead in 2019, has appeared in a UK court via videolink from Nigeria to challenge an attempt by a convicted fraudster to seize her £350,000 (approximately N696 million) London home.
Ashimola, 55, was officially recorded as deceased in February 2019, triggering a legal battle over her estate. However, in a dramatic turn of events, she presented herself before Deputy Master John Linwood, asserting that she was alive and a victim of an elaborate fraud scheme.
According to Daily Mail, the court heard that power of attorney over her estate had been granted to Ms. Ruth Samuel, who acted on behalf of Bakare Lasisi—an individual who falsely claimed to have married Ashimola in 1993. However, the judge ruled that the supposed marriage was a fabrication and that Lasisi did not exist.
Ashimola reportedly left the UK for Nigeria in 2018 and had not returned since. By 2022, Samuel, acting on behalf of the fictitious Lasisi, had laid claim to her property. Investigations revealed that Tony Ashikodi, a convicted fraudster who previously served three years in prison for property-related deception, orchestrated the elaborate scheme.
“This is an unusual probate claim in that the deceased says she is very much alive,” remarked Deputy Master Linwood, describing the case as a web of fraud, forgery, impersonation, and intimidation.
Despite facing visa challenges that prevented her from appearing in person, Ashimola’s identity was verified through passport photographs. Based on this, the judge dismissed the fraudulent claims against her estate.
“I find Ms. Ashimola is alive and that the death certificate was forged and/or fraudulently obtained. Her alleged death was part of Mr. Tony Ashikodi’s attempts to wrest control of the property from her,” the judge ruled.
The court also found that Ashikodi and Samuel were either directly involved in producing the fraudulent documents or knowingly relied on them. As a result, the power of attorney was revoked, restoring Ashimola’s rightful ownership of her £350,000 property.
The legal battle, which has cost both parties over £150,000, is believed to have exceeded the property’s equity value.
