Appeal Court upholds conviction of ex-army general, orders refund of over N4bn

The Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction and sentence of Umar Mohammed, the former group managing director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, for stealing and misappropriating funds.

In the certified true copy of the judgment, the appellate court dismissed Mohammed’s appeal challenging the Special Court Martial’s jurisdiction and the validity of its verdict.

The former senior officer was earlier tried and convicted by the court martial on October 10, 2023, for offences bordering on stealing and criminal misappropriation of funds belonging to Nigerian Army Properties Limited.

Following the conviction, Mr Mohammed was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to refund 2,099,700 dollars and N1.65 billion to the company.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, he approached the appellate court on February 12, 2025, in suit number CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025, arguing that his conviction lacked sufficient and credible evidence.

However, the three-member panel of justices (Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike), dismissed the appeal, ruling that the evidence presented during the court martial clearly established the offences.

According to the certified judgment issued on Monday, the court held that the court martial was right to reject the former general’s defence, describing it as inconsistent and unreliable.

The court noted contradictions in Mr Mohammed’s testimony, particularly his claim that the company never operated berthing services, which contradicted documentary records he authored indicating otherwise. The justices ruled that the inconsistencies undermined his credibility.

The appellate court consequently affirmed the conviction and sentence imposed by the court-martial, except for the counts relating to forgery.
In August 2025, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, also ordered the final forfeiture of shares worth over N5 billion traced to Mr Mohammed and a businessman, Kayode Filani.

The order followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which told the court that the 245,568,137 shares were purchased with proceeds of unlawful activities carried out during Mr Mohammed’s tenure as head of the army’s property company.

EFCC counsel in the matter, Hanatu Kofanaisa, explained that a court-martial had already convicted Mr Mohammed on 14 of the 18 counts of stealing and related offences. 

She added that the commission had met all legal requirements for final forfeiture, including the mandatory newspaper publication, without any objection being filed.

In granting the application, the judge held that the EFCC had proved its case and ordered the shares permanently forfeited to the federal government, in favour of the company. NAN