In the aftermath of the December 1983 coup in Nigeria led by General Muhammadu Buhari which removed his father, he was detained briefly and was later forcefully retired from the Nigerian army without offense at the rank of Captain.

He was promoted to Substantive Captain in June, 1983 and posted to 21st Mechanized Battalion Minna in September of the same year as a Company Commander.

[6][7] After his retirement from the military in 1984, Muhammad Bala Shagari founded Shag Nigeria Limited, and later founded Hamadah Shipping Services alongside Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Sen.Usman Albishir, among others, in 1989.

He was later appointed as the director of the Nigeria Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank (NACB) in 1993.

In 2009, he became a member of the Federal Capital Territory Judicial Service Committee.

He was once a winner of the prestigious Georgian Cup of Kaduna Polo Club.