ICPC Secures Seven-Year Jail Term for Ex-Health Ministry Official Over ₦29.9m Fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of a former Principal Stock Verifier at the Federal Ministry of Health, Williams Oluwole, who was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for issuing a false stock verification certificate that facilitated the payment of ₦29.9 million for pharmaceutical products that had not been supplied.
Oluwole was convicted on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, following his prosecution on a two-count charge bordering on knowingly furnishing false statements in the discharge of his official duties.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 22, the ICPC said the case arose from a stock verification certificate Oluwole issued in May 2015 in favour of Mubaraq Pharmacy Limited, falsely confirming the delivery of pharmaceutical products that had yet to arrive in Nigeria.
The commission said the certificate, identified as No. CA 0329, facilitated the payment of ₦29,996,120 to the company for the purported supply of 5,113 Ribavirin injections and 5,681 Globavirin tablets.
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According to the ICPC, the prosecution established during the trial that the products covered by the certificate had not been supplied when Oluwole certified their receipt, thereby creating the false impression that the company had fulfilled its contractual obligations and was entitled to payment.
The commission charged Oluwole under Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, for knowingly furnishing a false statement in his official capacity as Principal Stock Verifier.
The second count accused him of making a false statement to the then Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, contrary to Section 25(1)(a) of the same Act.
Delivering judgment, Justice Halilu found Oluwole guilty and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on the first count. The court also imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on the second count.
The judge directed that the convict serve his prison sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The ICPC prosecuted the case through its counsel, N. J. Onwuka, who appeared alongside P. N. Emeka, while Abubakar Adamu represented the defendant.
The conviction highlights the legal consequences of falsifying official records and certification documents in public procurement, particularly where such documents are used to facilitate payments for goods that have not been delivered.
The commission said the case underscores the importance of accountability and integrity in public service, especially in the management of public funds and the verification of government supplies.
By PRNigeria
