A court in Abuja, Nigeria, today, Tuesday, October 3, 2023, heard a case against a certain Wilson Daphe who defrauded close to 100,000 euros from a German citizen.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a Nigerian anti-graft organization, apprehended Wilson while Wilson’s associates fled and are still at large.
On May 10, 2023, the EFCC brought Wilson Daphe, also known as Jefrey Guiseppe, before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Daphe was arraigned on nine counts, which included charges of obtaining money under false pretences and money laundering.
“Daphey allegedly manipulated and obtained the sum of £120,150 from one Ms. Petra Goschenhofer with the assistance of Evans Nnamdi Aguh, Christopher Chinedu Ajufo, Ifeanyi Enuma, and Ojinanaka Kingsley Chukwuma, all of whom are currently at large,” EFCC said in a statement.
The crimes, according to the EFCC, were committed between 2018 and 2020. One of the counts states that between November 2018 and December 2019 in Abuja, WILSON DAPHEY (also known as JEFREY GUISEPPE), intentionally deceived Ms. Petra Goschenhofer whom he met on Instagram. He presented himself as an American Civil Engineer residing in Rome but temporarily in Dubai for a construction project. In this false identity, he obtained a total of 69,880 Euros from Ms. Goschenhofer. By doing so, he had committed an offence as defined in Section 22(2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
During the arraignment, Wilson Daphe pleaded not guilty.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, asked the court for a trial date and for the accused to be remanded in custody.
The accused had since been under the custody of EFCC