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, 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 sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 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.
The 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.
According to the Commission, Oluwole, while serving as Principal Stock Verifier at the ministry, 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.
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.
The Commission said the court established 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.
In Count One of Charge No. CR/94/2017, the ICPC accused Oluwole 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.
The second count concerned the alleged making of 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 on the first count and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on the second count and directed that the convict serve his prison term at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The ICPC prosecuted the case through its counsel, N. J. Onwuka, who was assisted by P. N. Emeka, while Oluwole was represented by Abubakar Adamu.
The Commission said the conviction underscored the legal consequences of falsifying official records and certification documents in public procurement, particularly where such documents are used to facilitate payments for goods and services not delivered.
It added that the case highlighted the importance of accountability and integrity in the management of public resources.
