The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has informed a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday that RearAdmiral Tahir Yusuf Biu, a former naval commander who is accused of stealing N1.3 billion from the Nigerian Navy, is on the run and unreachable.
Since a 9-count criminal complaint was filed against Admiral Biu on March 16, the anti-graft agency claimed that all searches for him in every region of the nation have been in vain.
Cosmas Obeta Ugwu, the attorney for the EFCC, bemoaned the fact that no traces of the defendant could be located, making it impossible to bring him before the court to answer the accusations levelled against him.
Rear Admiral Biu is alleged to have violated section 15 (2) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act on November 30, 2015 in Abuja by taking possession of N100 million transferred into his Bitmas Enterprises personal company bank account with number 1011904172 at Zenith bank from the Naval Headquarters account housed at Zenith bank.
According to the charge sheet, on March 14, 2012, Biu allegedly received N135.4 million into his Bitmas Enterprises account 1001439871 from a personnel account at the Defense Intelligence Agency, and N197.8 million was also deposited into Bitmas account in the same way.
Additionally, the EFCC accused him of illegally moving N148 million from the Defense Intelligence Agency to his company’s Zenith bank account and N334 million into the same company’s account in the same way.
Additionally, Admiral Biu was accused of obtaining another N152 million and another N20 million from DIA, which were both transferred to the firm account.
The former Naval Chief, according to the anti-graft agency, is also accused of transferring $300,000 from a Navy Personal Account intended for the purchase of furniture for the Navy Secondary School at Okura to his own personal Company Account held at Zenith Bank before fleeing to an unidentified location.
When the subject was brought up, the EFCC’s attorney presented a bleak image of the agency’s inability to find the defendant for arrest and court arraignment, but Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo disagreed with the anti-graft organization on the topic.
Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that the agency was squandering state resources and pointed out that various legislation provide the EFCC broad authority to find anyone hiding out for justice when necessary.
The Judge subsequently threatened to bring criminal charges if the agency returned to court at the next postponed date with the same justification.
He then set February 22nd, 2023, as the last adjournment before the EFCC must present the defendant in court or risk having the indictment dropped.
