BY EMMA PETER, ABUJA
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a seven-year prison sentence against a former Principal Stock Verifier at the Federal Ministry of Health, Williams Oluwole, for issuing a false certificate that facilitated the payment of ₦29.9 million for pharmaceutical products that had not been supplied when the document was issued.
According to a press statement issued on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by the ICPC Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey, and made available to journalists in Abuja, Oluwole was convicted on Tuesday, October 20, by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
The former ministry official was prosecuted on a two-count charge bordering on knowingly furnishing false statements in the discharge of his official duties.
The Commission said Oluwole, while serving as Principal Stock Verifier at the Federal Ministry of Health, issued a Stock Verification Certificate of Completion in favour of Mubaraq Pharmacy Limited in May 2015, falsely certifying that certain pharmaceutical products had been supplied when they had yet to arrive in Nigeria.
During the trial, the prosecution established that the defendant issued Stock Verification Certificate of Completion No. CA 0329, which facilitated the payment of ₦29,996,120 to the pharmaceutical company for the purported supply of 5,113 Ribavirin injections and 5,681 Globavirin tablets.
The court found that the products covered by the certificate had not been supplied at the time Oluwole certified their receipt, creating the false impression that the company had fulfilled its contractual obligations and was entitled to payment.
In Count One of Charge No. CR/94/2017, the ICPC accused the former stock verifier of knowingly furnishing a false statement in his official capacity by issuing the certificate that facilitated payment for the undelivered pharmaceutical products.
The offence was prosecuted under Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, while the second count concerned making a false statement to the then Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, contrary to Section 25(1)(a) of the same Act.
The Commission’s prosecution team was led by its counsel, N. J. Onwuka, who appeared alongside P. N. Emeka. The defendant was represented in court by Abubakar Adamu.
Delivering judgment, Justice Halilu found Oluwole guilty on the first count and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on the second count.
The judge further directed that the convict serve his prison term at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The conviction highlights the legal consequences of falsifying official records and procurement documents, particularly where such actions facilitate payments for goods that have not been delivered.
It also underscores the importance of accountability, transparency and due diligence in public procurement, especially in the health sector, where the proper supply and verification of pharmaceutical products are essential to public service delivery.
The ICPC reiterated through the case the need for public officers entrusted with verification and certification duties to discharge their responsibilities with integrity and in accordance with the law.
