A woman who was falsely declared dead has appeared in court via videolink from Nigeria to stop a convicted fraudster from seizing her £350,000 London home.
June Ashimola, 55, was reportedly deceased since February 2019, sparking a bizarre legal battle over her estate. However, she appeared before High Court judge John Linwood to declare she was alive and a victim of fraud.
The court heard that Ms. Ashimola left Britain for Nigeria in 2018 and never returned. In her absence, Power of Attorney over her estate—including a house in Woolwich, southeast London—was granted to associates of convicted fraudster Tony Ashikodi.
In October 2022, Power of Attorney was assigned to Ms. Ruth Samuel on behalf of Mr. Bakare Lasisi, who claimed to have married Ms. Ashimola in 1993. However, the judge ruled that Ms. Ashimola had been the victim of fraud and that Mr. Lasisi did not even exist.
It was claimed Ms. Ashimola had died in Nigeria in 2019 without leaving a will, with a death certificate produced in court. Some even alleged that reported sightings of her were of an imposter.
But Ms. Ashimola told the court she was “allegedly deceased,” calling the death certificate “false and fraudulent” and stating that the estate grant was “improperly obtained.”
“This is an unusual probate claim in that the deceased says she is very much alive,” Deputy Master Linwood noted.
“The root of this claim is a long-running battle waged by Mr. Tony Ashikodi for control and ownership of the property. This claim involves wide-ranging allegations of fraud, forgery, impersonation, and intimidation.”
To determine her request to revoke the grant, the judge had to consider key questions: “Is June Ashimola alive? Is the person claiming to be her really her? Did Mr. Lasisi marry June Ashimola?”
To the judge’s frustration, Ms. Ashimola could not appear in person due to visa issues, which made parts of her evidence “unsatisfactory.” However, he accepted her identity, verified through passport photos, and found her account credible.
After reviewing testimony from Mr. Ashikodi—who was jailed for three years in 1996 for obtaining property by deception—the judge ruled that he had “orchestrated” the fraud and attempted to “mislead the court.”
Among the more shocking revelations, the judge found that Ms. Ashimola’s alleged husband, Mr. Lasisi, was completely fictitious despite numerous emails supposedly from him.
“I find Ms. Ashimola is alive and that the death certificate was forged or fraudulently produced,” he ruled.
“Her alleged death was part of Mr. Tony Ashikodi’s attempts to wrest control of the property from her.”
He concluded that Mr. Lasisi and the supposed marriage certificate were fabricated, stating, “I do not accept Mr. Lasisi exists, or if he does, that he was aware his identity was being used.”
“The probate power of attorney submitted by Mr. Lasisi and Ms. Samuel was fraudulently produced.”
Based on his findings, Deputy Master Linwood revoked the grant related to the Power of Attorney.
The court heard that both parties had already accumulated legal costs exceeding £150,000—an amount that could surpass the property’s equity.