$1.476m theft: Court martial declares Maj-Gen Mohammed guilty

By Hannah Nathan

A Special Court Martial of the Nigerian Army has indicted the former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, Major General Umar Mohammed, of 14 of 18 count charges, including stealing and other sundry offences, which are all contrary to service laws.

Consequently, the charges brought against the General bother on stealing, forgery, conspiracy, theft, unauthorised diversion of Army property, and others.

According to one of the charges on which he was indicted, General Mohammed was alleged to have collected the sum of $1.045,400 paid by shipping companies for the use of Nigerian Army Jetty located at no 6 Marina, Victoria Island, Lagos

Congress gathered that he was also found guilty of a theft of $430.800 being monies paid into the Nigerian Army Domiciliary account at Unity Bank, Abuja for use of Nigerian Army Jetty, Marina, Lagos.
The court martial also found him guilty of withdrawing and confiscating the sum of N74 million out of N75 million paid for a property belonging to the Nigerian Army at Ikoyi, Lagos.

The general was however found not guilty on allegations that he sold Army property worth millions in Lagos as well as stole the sum of another million out of the sum of N2.5billion secured from banks as well as contributions from subscribers for an Army housing estate in Asokoro, Abuja.

He was also not found guilty of charges of forging a Deed of Agreement document under confiscating another Army property in Lagos.

The Special Court Martial with Major General Kames Myam as President, has seven other Major Generals as members and a Brigadier General as Judge Advocate and it is expected to read out its sentences for the accused by Tuesday next week.

During the court-martial, Major General UM Mohammed was brought into the court in a wheelchair but the President of the court, Maj-Gen Myan said all necessary medical checks were carried out on the accused and all proved that he was fit to stand trial.

The lead counsel for the prosecution was Col BA Oguntayo (Rtd) while the Lead counsel for the Defence was Olalekan Ojo, SAN.

Source: Vanguard