The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Mr. Martins Ugwu, who impersonated his best friend and used his certificate to secure employment at the Federal Ministry of Health.
Ugwu was charged in February 2016 with a seven-count indictment before Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja. He was accused of submitting false statements to the chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to obtain his position at the ministry in 2006.
The ICPC stated that Ugwu’s actions violated Section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and are punishable under Section 25(1)(b) of the same Act.
Between 2006 and 2016, Ugwu fraudulently earned N17.2 million in salaries and allowances while working as a medical doctor at the Federal Ministry of Health using the fake credentials. He also used the documents to procure an official identity card under the name “Dr. George Daniel Davidson,” apply for annual leave, and pursue a postgraduate training program in Epidemiology Practice.
During the sentencing, ICPC counsel Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha urged the court to order Ugwu to return all earnings he received during his employment under false pretenses, citing Sections 319 and 321 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
In his judgment, Justice Kutigi emphasized the increasing threat posed by quack doctors and expressed hope that Ugwu’s sentence would deter others. He sentenced the convict to six months of imprisonment for each of the seven counts, to be served consecutively.
Additionally, the court ordered Ugwu to refund all the salaries and allowances he fraudulently earned. Failure to comply with this restitution order would result in an additional one-year prison term.
