A Special Court Martial established by the Nigerian Army has found Major General Umar Mohammed, the former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, guilty on 14 out of 18 counts. These charges encompass theft and various other violations, all of which are in violation of service laws.
The charges brought against General Mohammed encompass offenses such as stealing, forgery, conspiracy, unauthorized diversion of Army property, among others.
In one charge for which he was found guilty, General Mohammed was accused of receiving a total of $1,045,400 from shipping companies for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty located at 6 Marina, Victoria Island, Lagos.
He was also convicted of appropriating $430,800, funds deposited into the Nigerian Army Domiciliary account at Unity Bank, Abuja, earmarked for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty at Marina, Lagos.
Furthermore, the court martial determined his guilt in the withdrawal and misappropriation of N74 million out of N75 million meant for a property owned by the Nigerian Army in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The General, however, was acquitted of charges claiming he sold Army property valued at N200 million in Lagos. Similarly, he was not found guilty of misappropriating N750 million from the N2.5 billion acquired from banks and contributors for an Army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja. He was also cleared of allegations involving the forgery of a Deed of Agreement document for the confiscation of another Army property in Lagos.
The Special Court Martial, headed by Major General Kames Myam with seven other Major Generals as members and a Brigadier General serving as Judge Advocate, is anticipated to announce the verdict for the accused by next Tuesday.
During the court-martial, Major General UM Mohammed was brought into the court in a wheelchair. However, Maj-Gen Myan, the President of the court, stated that all necessary medical examinations confirmed the accused’s fitness for trial.
Colonel BA Oguntayo (Rtd) served as the lead counsel for the prosecution, while Olalekan Ojo, SAN, was the lead counsel for the Defense.