EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Major-General On Trial By Court-Martial Narrates How Ex-Army Chief, Buratai Granted 75% Discount To Aisha Buhari’s Family, Other VIPs To Buy Houses From Army Property Firm

 

The ongoing trial of Maj. Gen. U.M Mohammed by court-martial in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for fraud and money laundering has opened a fresh can of worms as the senior military officer narrated how a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.) allowed the sale of houses by the Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL) to politicians and Very Important Personalities (VIPs) at a ridiculous 75 per cent discount.

 

Mohammed is a former ally of Buratai, who spent five years and five months in office, and was the Group Managing Director of NAPL. He revealed during his cross-examination that the allocation of houses to civilians by NAPL followed a directive from Buratai.

 

SaharaReporters learnt from top sources at the court-martial that the embattled Major-General further revealed that the VIPs and politicians are family and friends of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari (President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife), who were used as beneficiaries, to receive the houses on her behalf as a gift from Buratai.

 

SaharaReporters on Monday reported that the Nigerian Army prevented journalists from covering the trial of Maj. Gen. Mohammed by court-martial despite claiming that it was an open trial.

On Friday, SaharaReporters also reported that the Nigerian Army was secretly detaining Mohammed after exposing how he laundered funds for Buratai.

 

This comes despite claims made by the Army headquarters on Sunday through Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, that the trial "is held in the open” and “not shrouded in secrecy”.

 

Meanwhile, from the account of a source privy to the proceedings, it was revealed that “during a previous court martial sitting that took place recently, Major General AA Adesope a former Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), who spoke as a witness of the Nigerian Army, testified that he spent only 41 days as the GMD of NAPL.”

 

According to Adesope, he was posted out of NAPL because he made a report of misappropriation and allocation of houses made to civilians who bought properties with a discount of 75%.

But during cross-examination, Maj. Gen. Mohammed, in his defence, testified that the allocation of houses to civilians was a directive from Buratai. Mohammed said Buratai directed the issuance of allocation of houses to some VVIPs and politicians at a discount of 75%.

 

Mohammed was quoted to have said, “On March 19, Buratai directed one Lt. Col. Christy to make payment for the houses allocated to the VVIPs and politicians to Access Bank with account name FCCNAPL and account number 0769911478.”

 

He continued, “When Adesope took over NAPL and found out about the allocation to the civilians and 75% discount, he quickly made a report to Lt. Gen. Buratai (Rtd), accusing me of misappropriation without reaching out to me for verification.  

 

"Gen. Buratai now called me to find out how Adesope got to know about the allocation and discount, I told him it was captured in the sales records handed over to Adesope. Buratai became so annoyed and ordered his posting out as GMD, that was why Adesope spent only 41 days in NAPL.”

 

A senior military source added, “From our investigations, the VVIPs and politicians are family and friends of Aisha Buhari who were used as beneficiaries, to receive the houses on her behalf as a gift from Gen. Buratai.”

 

BACKGROUND

 

SaharaReporters had reported that Maj. Gen. Mohammed, until his arrest and secret detention in the past year, was in charge of NAPL.

 

Sources had told SaharaReporters that Mohammed was being punished at the behest of Buratai with whom he was involved in illegalities and shady dealings, carried out on the orders of the former Army chief while he was in office.

 

As the officer in charge of NAPL, Mohammed controlled army properties across the country.

 

SaharaReporters had reported that while being court-martialled, Mohammed, who had been arrested and held in secret detention since January 2022, confessed that Buratai asked him to pay $730,000 to obtain Saudi Arabia citizenship for him (Buratai) to evade justice for the atrocities committed by the army while he was the chief of staff.

 

Meanwhile, the court-martial has been going on secretly since September 2022.

 

Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that he was initially arrested for “terrorism financing” to cover up for the real reason behind his ordeal.

 

Sources also told SaharaReporters that Mohammed told the special court that on the orders of Buratai, he also released funds for trips for the wives of the former Army chief and some military activities like the movement of people when Buhari opened the Nigerian Army University in Biu, Borno State.

 

It was learnt that Buratai also instructed Mohammed to pay huge sums of money to some Muslim clerics “praying for Buratai’s administration” as Chief of Army Staff at the time.

 

 

One of the sources said, “For instance, the last one he gave evidence and this is in evidence in court that about $700,000 was used. He (Buratai) instructed him to process a Saudi Arabia residence permit for him.

 

 

 

“And he was also told to release money to fund the trips of his wives and also fund some military activities like the movement of people when Buhari opened some things in Biu - the Army University and some military activities. That was where he was directing that funds should be released.

 

 

“He also gave evidence of how several thousands of dollars he was ordered to release to some mallams (Islamic clerics) whom he said were praying for his administration. They were the ones that will censor any activities that he was going to undertake.

 

“For instance, the appointment of some persons or posting of some military officers; those ones whose names will be submitted to the mallams to determine in the spirit whether they would be loyal or not. So those things were funded in hundreds of thousands of dollars, he gave this in evidence.

 

“And then besides several international trips, he would ask the man to give out money. This involved several Generals, even some who were sitting as members of the panel. They also benefited from some of the foreign trips. They were paid hundreds of thousands in estacodes.”

 

 

On why Mohammed didn't say no to certain things as the MD of NAPL, one of the sources said, “If only you know how the military operates; that would amount to insubordination.

 

“If your boss asks you to do something and then you say no, that is insubordination and that was the reason why he used NAPL to fund personal and official activities in the military.”

 

Another source said, “In one, Mohammed told us how over N26 million was released to build piggery. What they were doing was directing him to release money. Mind you, they would call him while he was still serving as the MD of NAPL and a military officer.

 

 

“You know, in the military, orders are given orally and you do not disobey it. He (Buratai) would call him and ask him to release a certain amount of money. So that is how he was giving instructions and money was being released.”

 

 

Last Friday, SaharaReporters reported that Mohammed was ill and had spent one week in the intensive care unit of the NAOWA clinic in Abuja.

 

 

According to sources, the Army authorities had restricted public access and any form of visitation to the general.

 

It was learnt that Mohammed who hails from Niger state is senior to the current Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, having been part of 36 Regular Course of the Nigerian Army.

 

 

Sources revealed that normally Mohammed ought to have retired two years ago, adding that because of the intention of the army authorities to punish him, "the army authorities refused to retire him, instead kept him in detention."

 

"He was arrested in January 2022 and detained at the Nigerian Army military police guardroom in Abuja.”

 

Sources also told SaharaReporters that Mohammed had agreed to expose Buratai when the late Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru became the Chief of Army Staff.

 

Unfortunately, before he could "spill the beans, Attahiru died under tragic circumstances in a plane crash in Kaduna," one of the sources said. "The plane was a twin-engine aircraft which was not suitable for his rank."

 

 

But while being court-martialled, one of the sources said Mohammed had “already revealed to the army that since 2019, Buratai has used his position to buy properties for politicians including the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and also used the NAPL to fund President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 presidential campaign”.

 

 

Confirming SaharaReporters' report, Nwachukwu said, "It is factual that Maj Gen UM Mohammed ought to have proceeded on retirement, however, provisions of the Armed Forces Act (specifically Section 169) permits the retention in service of such personnel, who has pending disciplinary case(s) to allow extant legal processes.

 

 

"Furthermore, it is also a fact that members of the Special Court Martial trying Maj Gen Mohammed are all junior to him. This is permissible in special circumstances, as the Armed Forces Act provides for this contingency in Section 133(7), where the Convening Officer is required to obtain the consent of an appropriate superior to appoint any such officers as members of the court."