After N1.3bn fraud, ex-Naval Chief unreachable, EFCC tells court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday that a former Naval Chief, Rear Admiral Tahir Yusuf Biu, who allegedly stole N1.3 billion from the Nigerian Navy, is on the run and cannot be reached.

The anti-graft agency stated that all efforts to locate Admiral Biu’s whereabouts in all parts of the country have been futile since March 16, when a 9-count criminal charge was filed against him.

Cosmas Obeta Ugwu, counsel to the EFCC, lamented that no traces of the defendant could be found, so he could not be brought before the court to answer the criminal charges against him.

Rear Admiral Biu was said to have taken possession of N100 million transferred into his Bitmas Enterprises personal company bank account with number 1011904172 at Zenith bank from the Naval Headquarters to account domiciled at Zenith bank on November 30, 2015, in Abuja, in violation of section 15 (2) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

READ ALSO:

• N4.6bn Use In Sponsoring 2015 Presidential Campaign_ EFCC explains why it didn’t invite Jonathan
• EFCC recorded over 2,700 financial crime convictions in 2022.
• EFCC caught a governor withdrawing over N60 billion cash – EFCC Boss lament

According to the charge sheet, on March 14, 2012, Biu allegedly received N135.4 million into his Bitmas Enterprises account 1001439871 transferred from a Defence Intelligence Agency personnel account, as well as another N197.8 million transferred in the same manner into Bitmas account.

The EFCC also charged him with illegally transferring N148 million from the Defence Intelligence Agency to his Zenith bank company account and N334 million into the same company’s account in the same manner.

Furthermore, Admiral Biu was accused of taking possession of another N152 million and another N20 million transferred from DIA into the company account.

The anti-corruption agency also claimed that the former Naval Chief diverted $300,000 from a Navy Personal account intended for the purchase of furniture for the Navy Secondary School in Okura to his personal company account at Zenith Bank before fleeing to an unknown location.

When the issue was raised, the EFCC lawyer painted a bleak picture of the agency’s inability to locate the defendant for arrest and arraignment in court, but Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo disagreed with the anti-graft agency on the matter.

According to The Punch, Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that the agency was squandering state resources, noting that several statutes empower the EFCC to apprehend anyone in hiding and bring them to justice if necessary.

As a result, the Judge threatened to dismiss the criminal charges if the agency returned to court on the next adjourned date with the same story.

He then set February 22, 2023, as the last adjournment for the EFCC to produce the defendant in court or have the charge dismissed.