F ind the EFCC press statement below...
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, has arraigned two
suspected fraudsters, Gabriel Osereme Xavi
(a.k.a. Collins Page) and Aikhaituamen Best
Junior Cyril, before Justice E.F. Ikponmwen
of the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin,
on charges bordering on conspiracy and
obtaining money by false pretence.
While Xavi was slammed with a 12-count
charge, Aikhaituamen was docked on 6-
count charge.
The duo however pleaded not guilty to the
charges after they were read to them on
November 21, 2014.
The accused persons are alleged to have fleeced a
49 year-old Belgian nurse, Goryczka Janina,
whom they met on Facebook, of the sum of fifty
five thousand, five hundred Euros.
The victim allegedly met one of the accused
persons sometime in January, 2014, who
introduced himself as “Collins Page”, a Croatian
Engineer resident in Wigan, England.
Within days of their meeting, “Page” contacted her
with the story that he was in Nigeria to supervise
a construction project in Edo State and that he
was having difficulty with his credit card as it had
been blocked for security reasons. He solicited
Janina’s assistance for desperate cash.
Over the next few weeks, Janina kept sending him
money until she had transferred a total of €61,500
through one Emmanuel Okoh based in Cape Town,
South Africa and Messrs Junior Best and Cyril
Ojiemen.
When ‘Mr. Page’ pressurized her for more money,
Janina confided in a friend who told her that she
might have fallen into the hands of scammers.
In view of the plea of the accused persons,
prosecuting counsel, G. K. Latono asked for a trial
date and prayed the court to remand them in
prison custody.
Counsel to the first accused person, P. E. Onobun
and counsel to the second accused C. N. Dike
prayed the court for a short adjournment to
enable them file applications for bail.
Justice Ikponmwen adjourned the case to
December 8, 2014 for consideration of bail
applications and ordered that the defendants be
remanded in prison custody.
Two of the charges against Xavi read:
Count-1: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins
Page), Aikhaituamen Best Junior, Ojiemen Cyril
(still at Large) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large)
sometime between January and February 2014 at
Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable
court with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain
money by false pretence from Goryczka Janina,
offences contrary to and punishable by Section
1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related
Offences Act, 2006”.
Count-2: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins
Page) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large) on or
about the 31st day of January, 2014 at Benin
within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court
with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of
€40,000 (Forty Thousand Euro) from Goryczka
Janina on the false representation that you were a
Croatian Engineer handling a road construction
project in Edo State, Nigeria and the money was
for purchase of equipment and materials towards
the project, which representation you knew to be
false”.
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