RismadarVoice Reporters, March 10, 2026
A former Major General in the Nigerian Army, Umaru Mohammed, has approached the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld his conviction and sentence for the misappropriation of funds belonging to Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL).
Mohammed was originally convicted on October 10, 2023, by a Special Court Martial at the Army Headquarters Garrison for offences related to stealing and criminal misappropriation of NAPL funds.
He was dismissed from the army, sentenced to imprisonment, and ordered to refund $2,099,700 and N1,650,172,000 to the company.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mohammed filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal on February 12, 2025 (Suit No. CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025), challenging both the jurisdiction of the Special Court Martial and the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction.
However, in a Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained on Monday, the appellate court dismissed most of his appeal, ruling that the evidence presented during the court martial clearly established the offences. The three-member panel, comprising Justices Abba Bello Mohammed, Okon Efreti Abang, and Eberechi Suzette Nyeson-Wike, described Mohammed’s defence as inconsistent and unreliable.
The court affirmed his conviction and sentence on all counts except those relating to forgery, noting that the charges of conspiracy to commit forgery and forgery were instituted after the three-year limitation period under Section 169(1)(a) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.
The judgment partly read:
“The conviction and sentence of the Appellant for the offences in all the other counts of the Amended Charge is hereby affirmed… The conviction and sentence in counts 7 and 8 relating to forgery are hereby set aside for want of jurisdiction.”
In a statement on Monday, Mohammed described his trial as unfair and confirmed that he had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to set aside part of the Court of Appeal’s judgment and nullify the Special Court Martial’s verdict.
He also questioned the Nigerian Army’s attempts to enforce orders related to accounts linked to his Bank Verification Number (BVN), claiming that no such directives or restitution orders were issued by the court martial.
