The Court of Appeals upheld the Army General’s conviction for fraud

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has upheld the sentence of the former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Maj. Gen. Umar Mohammed, for stealing and misappropriating company funds.

In a Certified True Copy (CTC) judgment issued on Monday, the appellate court dismissed Mohammed’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the Special Military Tribunal (Nigerian Army) and the validity of its ruling.

The former senior officer was convicted by a military court on October 10, 2023 of stealing and criminal misappropriation of funds belonging to the Nigerian Army Properties Limited.

Following the conviction, Mohammed was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, sentenced to prison and ordered to return $2,099,700 and N1.65 billion to the company.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the convict submitted an application to the appeals court on February 12 2025 by filing lawsuit Number CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025 and arguing that the sentence handed down to him was not supported by sufficient and credible evidence.

However, a three-member appeals court panel rejected the appeal and ruled that the evidence presented during the military trial clearly demonstrated the offenses committed.

The panel members are Justices Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike.

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According to the CTC, the court ruled that the Special Military Court was right to reject the former general’s defense, describing it as inconsistent and unreliable.

The court noted contradictions in Mohammed’s testimony, particularly his claim that Nigerian Army Properties Limited had never operated a docking service, which contradicted the documentary record he wrote which showed otherwise.

The judge ruled that the inconsistencies undermined his credibility.

Therefore, the appeals court upheld the guilty verdict and sentence imposed by the Special Military Court on all charges except those relating to forgery.

in August 2025, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, also ordered the final confiscation of shares worth over N5 billion traced to Mohammed, and businessman Kayode Filani.

The order follows an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which told the court that the 245,568,137 shares were purchased with proceeds from unlawful activities carried out during Mohammed’s tenure as head of the army property company.