{"id":11741,"date":"2026-06-22T20:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/?p=11741"},"modified":"2026-06-22T20:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:51:10","slug":"helen-ajayi-and-daughter-appeal-court-ruling-on-tosin-ajayis-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/2026\/06\/22\/helen-ajayi-and-daughter-appeal-court-ruling-on-tosin-ajayis-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"Helen Ajayi and Daughter Appeal Court Ruling on Tosin Ajayi’s Estate"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mrs Helen Prest Ajayi and her daughter, Tomisin Ajayi, have filed an appeal against a Lagos State High Court judgment concerning the estate of the late Dr. Tosin Ajayi.<\/p>\n

The appeal challenges the court’s findings that Helen was merely a mistress to the deceased and that Tomisin was born out of wedlock. The appellants argue these findings contradict a previous consent judgment that recognised Helen as a co-wife.<\/p>\n

According to the appeal, relevant evidence was overlooked \u2014 including Tomisin’s birth certificate and testimonies confirming her legitimacy. The appellants also claim the court exceeded its jurisdiction by offering unintended relief and making decisions on how the estate should be shared, instead of simply determining who has the right to administer it.<\/p>\n

A motion has also been filed for a stay of execution of the judgment, citing concerns that moving forward could prejudice the appeal, especially given the complexity of the estate and ongoing legal battles surrounding it.\"\"<\/p>\n

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Case staarted When the founder of First Foundation Hospital, Dr Tosin Ajayi, passed away in April 2020 without leaving a Will, a serious court battle started over who was his real wife and who had the right to inherit his properties.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The doctor had been separated from his legally married wife, Mrs Adenike Ajayi, for over 20 years. However, they never officially divorced through the court. Later, another woman, former beauty queen Helen Prest, who has a daughter for the Dr, claimed she was his wife through a customary marriage and should inherit his estate after showing their traditional marriage pictures, which the law did not recognise, Hellen has a daughtar with Dr but court’s rulled that Helen was merely a mistress to the deceased and that Tomisin their daughter was born out of wedlock.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The matter went to court and lasted almost five years. Witnesses testified, lawyers argued, and both women fought for recognition as the doctor’s lawful widow.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally, Justice Oluwayoyin Odusanya delivered judgment.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The court ruled that:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> Separation does NOT end a legal marriage.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> No matter how many years a husband and wife have lived apart, they remain legally married until a court grants a divorce.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> Mrs Adenike Ajayi remained Dr Ajayi’s lawful wife until his death.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> Helen Prest’s claim of being a customary wife was rejected by the court.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> The court declared Mrs Adenike Ajayi the only legally recognised widow.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\u2705\"<\/span> She is entitled to one-third of the late doctor’s personal estate and is the only spouse qualified to apply for the administration of his estate.<\/p>\n
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Additional fact from the case:<\/strong> The court also noted that even if the alleged customary marriage had been proven, it would still have been invalid because evidence showed that Helen Prest was still legally married to another man, Mr. Davies, at the time she claimed to have married Dr Ajayi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  Mrs Helen Prest Ajayi and her daughter, Tomisin Ajayi, have filed an appeal against a Lagos State High Court judgment concerning the estate of the late Dr. Tosin Ajayi. The appeal challenges the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t