The Court of Appeal has affirmed the conviction and sentence of former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Maj.-Gen. Umar Mohammed, over offences bordering on theft and misappropriation of company funds.
A three-member panel of Justices—Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang and Eberechi Nyesom—unanimously dismissed Mohammed’s appeal, upholding the judgment earlier delivered by a Special Court Martial of the Nigerian Army.
The Special Court Martial had on October 10, 2023, convicted Mohammed of stealing and criminal misappropriation of funds belonging to NAPL.
He was sentenced to several years in prison and ordered to refund $2,099,700 and N1.65 billion to the company.
Dissatisfied with the verdict, the former general approached the appellate court, arguing that the conviction was not backed by credible and sufficient evidence.
However, in its ruling on Monday, the Court of Appeal held that the Special Court Martial acted within its authority and that the evidence presented during the trial justified the conviction.
The court also faulted Mohammed’s defence, describing it as inconsistent and unreliable.
“The defence presented by the appellant was riddled with contradictions and lacked credibility,” the appellate court held while affirming the lower court’s decision.
According to the justices, Mohammed had contradicted himself in his testimony, particularly regarding claims that NAPL never operated berthing services—an assertion that conflicted with documentary records showing the company’s involvement in such operations.
The Court of Appeal therefore upheld the conviction and sentence on all counts except those relating to forgery.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos in August 2025 ordered the final forfeiture of shares valued at over N5 billion traced to Mohammed and a businessman, Kayode Filani.
The shares—totalling 245,568,137 units—were found to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities during Mohammed’s tenure as head of the army’s property company.
Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hanatu Kofanaisa, told the court that the anti-graft agency had met all legal requirements for the forfeiture.
“The EFCC has satisfied all the legal conditions for final forfeiture, including the mandatory publication in national newspapers, without any objections,” Kofanaisa said.
Ruling on the application, Justice Dipeolu held that the EFCC had sufficiently proved its case and ordered the shares to be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government in favour of NAPL.