A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced a former Principal Stock Verifier at the Federal Ministry of Health, Williams Oluwole, to seven years’ imprisonment for falsely certifying the delivery of pharmaceutical products worth nearly N30 million.
The conviction followed a prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which accused Oluwole of issuing an official document that enabled payment for medical supplies that had not been delivered.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court, Maitama, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, after finding the former public official guilty of furnishing false information in the course of his duties.
In a statement issued on Thursday, ICPC spokesperson J. Okor Odey disclosed that the case concerned a pharmaceutical supply contract awarded to Mubaraq Pharmacy Limited.
According to the Commission, Oluwole issued a Stock Verification Certificate of Completion in May 2015, indicating that the contractor had fulfilled its supply obligations.
However, evidence presented during the trial established that the pharmaceutical products had not arrived in Nigeria when the certificate was issued.
The document, identified as Certificate No. CA 0329, subsequently facilitated the payment of N29,996,120 to the company.
The contract covered the purported supply of 5,113 Ribavirin injections and 5,681 Globavirin tablets.
The prosecution argued that Oluwole’s certification created a misleading impression that the government had received the products and that the contractor was entitled to payment.
The court accepted the prosecution’s evidence, ruling that the official knowingly issued a false statement concerning the delivery of the medical supplies.
Oluwole faced two charges under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The first count involved knowingly furnishing false information while performing his responsibilities as Principal Stock Verifier, contrary to Section 16 of the Act.
The second concerned a false statement made to the ministry’s then Permanent Secretary, Linus Awute, in violation of Section 25(1)(a).
Following his conviction, Justice Halilu imposed a seven-year prison sentence on the first count and a N100,000 fine on the second.
The judge also directed that Oluwole serve his custodial sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
During the proceedings, ICPC counsel N. J. Onwuka appeared alongside P. N. Emeka, while Abubakar Adamu represented the defendant.
The case, filed under Charge No. CR/94/2017, arose from the certification issued more than a decade before the judgment.
The conviction highlights the legal responsibilities attached to official verification documents used in government procurement.
Such certificates can determine whether public funds are released to contractors, making accurate verification essential to financial accountability.
The ICPC’s successful prosecution also draws attention to the consequences of certifying government supplies without confirming that the contracted goods have actually been delivered.
Ezeana Emmanuel
