Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the permanent forfeiture of shares valued at N246.3 million linked to Major-General U.M. Mohammed (Retd.), former Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, following a motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through its counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa.
The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order from Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, which mandated the publication of the affected shares in a national newspaper, inviting any interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
In support of the final forfeiture application, the EFCC presented an affidavit deposed to by Nwike Fortune, an investigating officer, who revealed that the shares were acquired using proceeds from fraudulent sales of NAPL properties between 2015 and 2020.
According to the affidavit, Mohammed diverted funds from the sale of army-owned assets and used them to purchase shares in Awhua Resources Limited, including: National Aviation Handling Company – N115.6 million; Vitafoam Nigeria Plc – N81.9 million; University Press Plc – N40.1 million; Oando Plc – N2 million; and Dangote Sugar Refinery – N1 million.
Justice Dipeolu held that the EFCC had established sufficient grounds and ruled that the shares, listed in Schedules A, B, and C, be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Mohammed was court-martialed in October 2023 and convicted on 14 out of 18 counts including stealing, forgery, conspiracy, and unauthorised diversion of army property.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to refund $2.17 million and N1.65 billion to the Nigerian Army and NAPL.
In June 2024, reports emerged that Mohammed had been detained in Kuje Prison without a proper warrant, which was later issued by military authorities.
Sources also alleged that Mohammed implicated former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Retd.), in the sale of NAPL properties to politicians and VIPs at discounts of up to 75 per cent.
