Court Upholds Ex-Army General Conviction
Last update: March 9, 2026
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Court of Appeal upholds conviction of Ex-NAPL GMD Maj.-Gen. Umar Mohammed over fund misappropriation...
The Court of Appeal has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Maj.-Gen. Umar Mohammed, over offences involving the stealing and misappropriation of company funds.
In the Certified True Copy of the judgment, the appellate court dismissed Mohammed’s appeal which challenged the jurisdiction of the Special Court Martial that tried him and the validity of the verdict reached against him.
Mohammed was earlier convicted by a Special Court Martial of the Nigerian Army on October 10, 2023, on charges bordering on stealing and criminal misappropriation of funds belonging to NAPL.
Following the conviction, he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, sentenced to imprisonment, and ordered to refund $2,099,700 and ₦1.65bn to the company.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the former army
officer approached the Court of Appeal on February 12, 2025, through suit number CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025. In his appeal, he argued that the conviction was not supported by credible evidence.
However, a three-member panel of justices - Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike - dismissed the appeal and upheld the earlier decision.
CBI News reports that the appellate court held that the evidence presented during the court martial sufficiently established the offences.
According to the judgment issued on Monday, the court ruled that the Special Court Martial was justified in rejecting Mohammed’s defence.
The justices described his testimony as inconsistent and unreliable, noting contradictions in his claim that Nigerian Army Properties Limited never operated berthing services.
The panel pointed out that documentary records authored by Mohammed himself indicated otherwise, adding that such inconsistencies undermined his credibility.
The Court of Appeal consequently upheld the conviction and sentence imposed by the Special Court Martial on all counts except those relating to forgery.
