ICPC Secures Seven-Year Jail Term for Ex-Health Ministry Official Over ₦29.9m Fraud
By Pan Afric Reporters
A former Principal Stock Verifier at the Federal Ministry of Health, Williams Oluwole, has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for issuing a false stock verification certificate that facilitated the payment of nearly ₦30 million for pharmaceutical products that had not been supplied.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed this in a press statement issued on Thursday, October 22, 2026, and signed by its Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey. The Commission said Oluwole was convicted on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, following prosecution on a two-count charge bordering on false statements in the discharge of his official duties.
According to the ICPC, Oluwole issued a Stock Verification Certificate of Completion in May 2015 in favour of Mubaraq Pharmacy Limited, falsely certifying that pharmaceutical products had been supplied when they had yet to arrive in Nigeria.
The Commission said the certificate, numbered 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.
During the trial, the prosecution established that the products had not been supplied when Oluwole certified their receipt, creating the impression that the contractor had fulfilled its contractual obligations and was entitled to payment.
The ICPC prosecuted the former official under Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, for knowingly furnishing a false statement in his official capacity. The second count concerned a false statement allegedly made to the then Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, contrary to Section 25(1)(a) of the Act.
Delivering judgment, Justice Halilu found Oluwole guilty on both counts and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on Count One, with an additional ₦100,000 fine on Count Two. The court directed that he serve his prison sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The prosecution was conducted by ICPC 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 procurement documents, particularly where such actions facilitate payments for goods not delivered and undermine accountability in the management of public funds.
