Nigerian military court to sentence major-general on Tuesday over $1.4m theft

A Special Court Martial set up by the Nigerian Army, which found the former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Major General Umar Mohammed, guilty will deliver judgment on Tuesday, The DEFENDER has learnt.

The Special Court Martial sitting in Abuja had found Major General Mohammed guilty of 14 out of 18 counts of charges, including stealing and other sundry offences, which are all contrary to service laws.

The charges brought against the general border on stealing, forgery, conspiracy, theft, unauthorised diversion of Army property, among others.

In one of the charges on which he was found guilty, General Mohammed was alleged to have collected the sum of $1.045,400 paid by shipping companies for the use of Nigerian Army Jetty located at no 6 Marina, Victoria Island, Lagos

He was also found guilty of a theft of $430,800 monies paid into the Nigerian Army Domiciliary account at Unity Bank, Abuja for the use of Nigerian Army Jetty, Marina, Lagos.

The court martial also found him guilty of withdrawing and confiscating the sum of N74 million out of N75 million paid for a property belonging to the Nigerian Army at Ikoyi, Lagos.

The general was however found not guilty on allegations that he sold Army property worth N200 million in Lagos as well as stole the sum of another N750 million out of the sum of N2.5 billion secured from banks as well as contributions from subscribers for Army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja.

He was also not found guilty of charges of forging a Deed of Agreement document pursuant to confiscating another Army property in Lagos.

The Special Court Martial with Major General Kames Myam as President, has seven other Major Generals as members and a Brigadier General as Judge Advocate and it is expected to read out its sentences for the accused on Tuesday.

General Mohammed had claimed that the houses and monies accused of selling and misappropriating were released on the directive and instruction of his boss.

During the court-martial, Major General Mohammed was brought into the court in a wheelchair but the President of the court, Maj-Gen Myan said all necessary medical checks were carried out on the accused and all proved that he was fit to stand trial.

The lead counsel for the prosecution was Col. BA Oguntayo (rtd), while the lead counsel for the defence was Olalekan Ojo (SAN).