The Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction and sentencing of former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL),...
The Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction and sentencing of former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Umar Mohammed, over offences involving the theft and criminal misappropriation of company funds.
In a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment released on Monday, the appellate court dismissed Mohammed’s appeal challenging the authority of the Nigerian Army’s Special Court Martial and the validity of its ruling.
Mohammed was earlier tried and convicted by the Special Court Martial on Oct. 10, 2023, for offences bordering on stealing and misappropriating funds belonging to Nigerian Army Properties Limited. Following the conviction, he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, sentenced to prison and ordered to refund 2,099,700 dollars and N1.65 billion to the company.
Dissatisfied with the verdict, Mohammed filed an appeal on Feb. 12, 2025, in suit No. CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025, arguing that the conviction was not supported by credible and sufficient evidence.
However, a three-member panel of justices — Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike — dismissed the appeal, holding that the evidence presented during the court martial clearly established the offences against the former army officer.
The justices ruled that the Special Court Martial was justified in rejecting Mohammed’s defence, describing it as inconsistent and unreliable.
According to the judgment, contradictions were identified in Mohammed’s testimony, particularly his claim that Nigerian Army Properties Limited never operated berthing services. The court noted that this claim conflicted with documentary records authored by him, which indicated that the company had indeed engaged in such operations.
The appellate court held that the inconsistencies weakened Mohammed’s credibility before the tribunal and consequently upheld the conviction and sentence imposed by the Special Court Martial on all counts except those relating to forgery.
Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in August 2025, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of shares valued at more than N5 billion traced to Mohammed and a businessman, Kayode Filani.
The forfeiture order followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which told the court that 245,568,137 shares linked to the duo were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities carried out during Mohammed’s tenure as head of the army’s property company.
EFCC counsel, Hanatu Kofanaisa, informed the court that a Special Court Martial had earlier convicted Mohammed on 14 out of 18 counts bordering on stealing and related offences.
She added that the commission had complied with all legal requirements for the final forfeiture, including mandatory newspaper publication, without any objections being raised.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Dipeolu held that the EFCC had sufficiently proved its case and ordered that the shares be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government in favour of Nigerian Army Properties Limited.
The application was filed under Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
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