EX-NAVAL OFFICER ON THE RUN LEADS THUGS TO THROW OUT WOMEN, CHILDREN FROM EX-WIFE’S ZARIA PROPERTY

A former Director of Accounts of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Tahir Yusuf (retd.), who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged ₦2 billion fraud, has been accused of leading thugs to throw women and children out of a property in Zaria, Kaduna State, belonging to his ex-wife.

The allegation adds a fresh layer of controversy to a long-running property dispute that has already seen accusations of armed assault, vandalism, and the destruction of a bakery.

THE ALLEGATION

According to reports, Yusuf, who has been on the EFCC’s wanted list since 2022, led a group of thugs to the property in Zaria and forcibly evicted the occupants, who included women and children.

The property is said to be associated with his estranged wife, Zainab Tahir Yusuf, who operates Bitmas Bakery Limited in Zaria.

The eviction is the latest chapter in a bitter dispute between Yusuf and his ex-wife over properties and businesses that she claims belong to her.

YUSUF’S DEFENCE

In a previous statement, Yusuf denied being a fugitive and insisted that the property in question belonged to him.

“The property in question belongs to me, Rear Admiral B.T. Yusuf (rtd),” he said. “Unfortunately, my ex-wife, Zainab Wantadi Yombe, put tenants there and was collecting rent from them, hence I don’t usually put tenants in my property to collect rents from them”.

He claimed that he decided to take control of the house himself and relocated the tenants to another of his properties free of charge.

“I never insulted any one of the tenants as claimed in the video post because the tenants are in my second house,” he said.

“Therefore, the claim by SaharaReporters that EFCC are looking for me are false. I, Rear Admiral B.T. Yusuf is never and will never be a bad man based on the way I was brought up”.

THE EFCC CASE

The EFCC has accused Yusuf of stealing ₦2 billion belonging to the Nigerian government while serving as Director of Nigerian Navy Accounts.

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In 2020, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the permanent forfeiture of about ₦500 million found to be fraudulently amassed by the military officer to the Nigerian government .

Following the forfeiture, Yusuf fled Nigeria to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The EFCC and National Intelligence Agency asked the Nigeria Immigration Service and Interpol to place him on a watch list.

However, Yusuf sneaked back into the country in October 2021 after he illegally obtained an international passport with the help of some corrupt government officials through the Niger Republic, a source had told SaharaReporters.

THE BAKERY DESTRUCTION

In 2022, SaharaReporters reported that Yusuf ordered the destruction of the largest bakery in Zaria, Bitmas Limited, using armed soldiers and hoodlums.

The bakery is said to be owned by his estranged wife, Zainab Tahir Yusuf.

Sources told SaharaReporters then that Yusuf started physically abusing Zainab from the first year of their marriage in 2010, and that the violence increased over the years. He was also accused of threatening a medical doctor with a gun.

WHY IT MATTERS

The case is a stark example of how powerful individuals can use thugs and sometimes security personnel to intimidate and dispossess vulnerable people, even while facing serious criminal charges.

Yusuf is a wanted man. He has been declared wanted by the EFCC. He has been placed on a watch list. Yet he moves freely, allegedly leading thugs to evict women and children from a property.

For the women and children who were thrown out, the question is simple: who will protect them? And for the EFCC, the question is even simpler: where is Tahir Yusuf?

ValidViewNetwork reports that the EFCC has not commented on the latest allegation. Yusuf has denied being a fugitive.