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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a charge against a former Director of Finance and Accounts at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Rear Admiral Tahir Yusuf Biu, over his alleged involvement in the diversion of about N1.3billion public funds.

In a nine-count charge filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja and sighted by The Nation yesterday, Biu was accused of diverting the funds from the DIA’s Personnel Account and the Navy, using a firm – Bitmas Enterprises – whose accounts, the EFCC claimed, he was the sole signatory.

The EFCC claimed, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/89/2022, filed by its lawyer, C. C. Ugwu that Biu allegedly committed the offence between 2008 and 2015.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, to whose court the charge has been assigned, has scheduled Biu’s arraignment for July 5.

Some counts in the charge read:

That you Rear Admiral Tahir Yusuf Biu (Rtd), trading under the name and style of Bitmas Enterprises, between 26/5/10 and 21/12/10 in Abuja did engage in the possession of the sum of N334,000,000.00 only transferred into Bitmas Enterprises Account No: 1011904172 domiciled in Zenith Bank PLC of which you are the sole signatory, from Defence intelligence Agency Personnel Account domiciled in Zenith Bank PLC, which sum you knew at the time of taking possession was derived from your unlawful act, to wit: stealing from Defence Intelligence Agency and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(1)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 18(2) of the same Act.