The former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, Major General Umar Mohammed, was found guilty of 14 of 18 count charges, including stealing and other various offenses that are all against service laws, by a Special Court Martial established by the Nigerian Army.
The General was accused of forgery, theft, conspiracy, theft, and unpermitted diversion of Army property, among other things, in the charges that were brought against him.
General Mohammed was accused of collecting $1.045,400 from shipping companies for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty at Marina No. 6, Victoria Island, Lagos, according to one of the charges for which he was found guilty.
He was also found guilty of stealing $430,800 that had been paid into the Nigerian Army’s domiciliary account at Unity Bank in Abuja for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty in Marina, Lagos.
The court martial also found him guilty of withdrawing and seizing the sum of N74 million from the N75 million paid for a property owned by the Nigerian Army in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The general, however, was cleared of charges that he stole N750 million from the N2 point 5 billion in funding for an army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja, and sold Army property worth N200 million in Lagos. These allegations stemmed from the general’s alleged involvement in the construction of the housing estate.
He was also cleared of charges related to fabricating a Deed of Agreement document in order to seize another Army property in Lagos.
By Tuesday of the following week, the Special Court Martial, which is presided over by Major General Kames Myam and includes seven other Major Generals as members and a Brigadier General serving as Judge Advocate, is anticipated to read out the sentences for the accused.
Major General UM Mohammed was wheeled into the courtroom during the court-martial in a wheelchair, but the court’s president, Maj-Gen Myan, claimed that the accused had undergone all necessary medical examinations, and they had all shown that he was healthy enough to stand trial.
Col. BA Oguntayo (Ret.) served as the prosecution’s lead attorney, and Olalekan Ojo, SAN served as the prosecution’s lead attorney.
