Appeal Court Upholds Conviction of Ex-Army Major General Over Misappropriation of Army Funds
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the conviction and sentencing of a former Major General of the Nigerian Army, Umaru Mallam Mohammed, affirming an earlier verdict delivered by a Special Court Martial which found him guilty of stealing and misappropriating funds belonging to Nigerian Army Properties Limited.
Delivering judgment on February 9, 2026, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by the former senior military officer, which challenged both the jurisdiction of the Special Court Martial and the validity of its ruling.
Mohammed had earlier been tried and convicted by the Special Court Martial on October 10, 2023 for offences bordering on stealing and criminal misappropriation of funds belonging to Nigerian Army Properties Limited. Following the conviction, he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to refund $2,099,700 and ₦1,650,172,000 to the company.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the ex-Major General approached the Court of Appeal on February 12, 2025, in a suit marked CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025, arguing that his conviction was not supported by sufficient, credible and reliable evidence.
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However, the three-member appellate panel comprising Justices Abba Bello Mohammed, Okon Efreti Abang and Eberechi Suzzette Nyeson-Wike dismissed the appeal, holding that the evidence presented during the court martial clearly established the offences for which he was convicted.
According to the certified judgment issued on March 2, 2026, the appellate court ruled that the Special Court Martial acted properly in rejecting the former general’s defence, describing it as inconsistent and unreliable.
The court pointed to contradictions in Mohammed’s testimony, noting that while he claimed that Nigerian Army Properties Limited never operated berthing services, documentary evidence authored by him suggested otherwise.
The justices held that the unexplained inconsistencies significantly undermined the credibility of his defence.
Consequently, the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction and sentencing imposed by the Special Court Martial on all counts except those relating to forgery.
Legal analysts say the ruling clears the path for Nigerian Army Properties Limited to proceed with efforts to recover the misappropriated funds from the dismissed senior officer.
The judgment is also being widely regarded as a significant reinforcement of accountability within the Nigerian military justice system and a major step toward ensuring that public resources are protected from abuse.
By PRNigeria
