A Special Court Martial established by the Nigerian Army has found Major General Umar Muazu Mohammed, the former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, guilty of 14 out of 18 count charges. The charges include offenses such as stealing, forgery, conspiracy, theft, and unauthorized diversion of Army property, all contrary to service laws.
The charges encompass various alleged financial improprieties, including the collection of $1.045 million from shipping companies for the use of the Nigerian Army Jetty in Lagos, theft of $430,800 deposited into the Nigerian Army Domiciliary account at Unity Bank in Abuja, and the withdrawal and confiscation of N74 million out of N75 million paid for an Army property in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Notably, Major General Umar Muazu Mohammed was found not guilty on charges related to the sale of Army property worth N200 million in Lagos and the theft of N750 million from funds secured from banks and contributors for an Army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja. Additionally, he was acquitted on charges of forging a Deed of Agreement document pertaining to another confiscated Army property in Lagos.
The Special Court Martial, led by Major General Kames Myam as President and consisting of seven other Major Generals as members, along with a Brigadier General as Judge Advocate, is expected to announce the sentencing for the accused by the following Tuesday.
During the court martial proceedings, Major General Umar Muazu Mohammed was brought into the court in a wheelchair. However, the President of the court, Major General Myam, asserted that all necessary medical checks had been carried out on the accused, confirming his fitness to stand trial. The prosecution was led by Colonel BA Oguntayo (Rtd), while the defense was represented by Olalekan Ojo, SAN.
