By Becky Usman

A Special Court Martial convened by the Nigerian Army has convicted Major General Umar Muazu Mohammed, the former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited. He was found guilty on 14 of 18 charges, including stealing, forgery, conspiracy, theft, and unauthorized diversion of Army property, all in violation of service laws.

Among the charges were accusations of collecting $1.045 million from shipping companies for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty in Lagos. Major General UM Mohammed was also found guilty of stealing $430,800 deposited into the Nigerian Army Domiciliary account at Unity Bank, Abuja, intended for the use of the Army Jetty in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Additionally, he was convicted of withdrawing and confiscating N74 million out of N75 million meant for a property owned by the Nigerian Army in Ikoyi, Lagos. However, he was acquitted of charges related to the sale of Army property worth N200 million in Lagos and the alleged theft of N750 million from funds secured for an Army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja.

The court, presided over by Major General Kames Myam, with seven other Major Generals as members and a Brigadier General serving as Judge Advocate, is set to announce the sentence on Tuesday next week. Despite being brought to court in a wheelchair, Major General UM Mohammed was deemed fit to stand trial after undergoing necessary medical checks, according to the court president. The prosecution was led by Col BA Oguntayo (Rtd), while Olalekan Ojo, SAN, served as the lead counsel for the defense.