WANTED EX-NAVY ADMIRAL SIGHTED IN KADUNA OVER ALLEGED N2BN FRAUD

Retired Rear Admiral Tahir Yusuf, a former Director of Accounts of the Nigerian Navy who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N2 billion fraud, has reportedly been sighted in Kaduna State.

Sources familiar with the development said Yusuf was seen this week in a residential neighbourhood in Kaduna, where the anti-graft agency had previously sealed properties allegedly linked to him.

His latest reported appearance comes months after he was reportedly spotted in Abuja moving around with security aides despite being on the EFCC’s wanted list and the watchlist of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

In October 2022, the EFCC informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that the retired naval officer was at large and could not be located to face the criminal charges against him.

A fresh video reportedly showed Yusuf wearing a light-blue kaftan and standing beside a silver Mercedes-Benz parked on a grassy roadside. A woman wearing a brown hijab was seen recording him with her mobile phone, while a man in military camouflage, said to be a naval officer, stood near a gate. A red Volkswagen Passat station wagon was also visible nearby.

The Federal Government, through the EFCC, is prosecuting Yusuf over allegations that he diverted about N2 billion during his tenure as Director of Nigerian Navy Accounts.

The commission said its investigation uncovered suspicious transfers from official Nigerian Navy accounts into personal accounts belonging to Yusuf and another retired officer, Babajide Oguntade.

According to the EFCC, approximately N2 billion was transferred into a joint account operated by the two officers under the name Bitmas Enterprise. Investigators also reportedly discovered seven other bank accounts belonging exclusively to Yusuf at Zenith Bank Plc and the defunct Skye Bank Plc, now Polaris Bank.

The charges against the retired admiral include allegations that he received N135.4 million on March 14, 2012, which was deposited into the Bitmas Enterprises account numbered 1001439871. The funds were allegedly transferred from a Defence Intelligence Agency personnel account.

Another N197.8 million was reportedly transferred into the same account through a similar transaction.

The EFCC further accused Yusuf of unlawfully transferring N148 million and N334 million from the Defence Intelligence Agency into a company account domiciled with Zenith Bank. He was also alleged to have received additional transfers of N152 million and N20 million into the company’s account.

In another allegation, the commission accused the former naval accounts director of diverting $300,000 meant for the purchase of furniture for the Navy Secondary School in Okura into his company’s Zenith Bank account.

The EFCC alleged that Yusuf subsequently fled to an undisclosed location after the alleged diversion of the funds.

The case has also resulted in the recovery and forfeiture of assets linked to the retired officer. In 2020, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu ordered the permanent forfeiture to the Federal Government of N392,695,857.87, $91,955.38 and £15,050 found in domiciliary accounts and linked to the alleged proceeds of unlawful activities.

Before the forfeiture order, EFCC counsel Elizabeth Alabi had secured an interim order authorising the commission’s chairman to direct banks to freeze the relevant accounts pending the investigation.

Following the forfeiture proceedings, EFCC operatives sealed properties in Zaria and Kaduna allegedly acquired with proceeds of the suspected fraud. The properties reportedly included Emerald Hotels and Suites in Zaria, two uncompleted buildings in Zaria and Kaduna, and Bitmas Bakery Limited in Zaria.

The commission’s efforts to locate Yusuf reportedly began after nine counts were filed against him on March 16, 2022. Its counsel, Cosmas Obeta Ugwu, subsequently told the court that repeated attempts to find the defendant had failed, preventing his appearance to answer the charges.

Yusuf was reported to have left Nigeria for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2018 after being invited by the EFCC. The commission later wrote to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, requesting that he be placed on a watchlist and that it be notified whenever he attempted to travel through an airport or border crossing.

However, in October 2021, reports emerged that Yusuf had returned to Nigeria through the Niger Republic using allegedly falsified travel documents obtained with the assistance of compromised officials.

Since his reported return, he has allegedly moved between Abuja and Kaduna without being rearrested.

His latest reported sighting has renewed questions about the enforcement of the EFCC’s wanted list and the authorities’ ability to bring suspects facing serious financial crime allegations before the courts.

The allegations against Yusuf remain allegations unless established by a court of law.