A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has sentenced a 54-year old fake medical doctor, Mr. Martins Ugwu, to four years and two months in jail.
Ugwu was convicted for making a false statement to the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, through which he secured employment into the Federal Ministry of Health, in 2006.
Justice Kutigi ordered that the convict refund to the coffers of the federal government the sum of N17,024, 017, 90k which he earned as salaries and allowances between 2006 and 2016, after working for about ten years as a medical doctor in the Federal Ministry of Health, with the fake documents.
Specifically, the ICPC had in February 2016, filed a seven-count charge against Ugwu for impersonating a certain Dr. George Daniel Davidson, to gain employment into the Federal Civil Service (FCS).
Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi who passed the sentence on the convict Tuesday (yesterday, November 26) ordered that he should serve his jail term in the Akure Correctional center where he is standing trial for a different criminal matter.
Justice Kutigi had in his judgment on October 3, 2024, convicted the defendant on all the seven-count charge preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practice and other Related Offences Commission ICPC.
The judge held that the prosecution counsel, Dr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha, an Assistant Chief Legal Officer with the anti-graft commission, had established his case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant in all the seven-counts.
In passing his sentence against the convict, Justice Kutigi held that the decision to jail him without an option of fine is to serve as a deterrent to others, especially given the dangerous activities of quack doctors in the health sector.
Besides, he held that the convict was not remorseful over the charges and overwhelming evidence against him.
“In view of the severity of the offence and its dangerous effects on the health sector, the message should be clearly sent out loud to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The incidence of quack doctors has taken a dangerous dimension in the health sector. He used another person’s certificate to secure employment and attained a certain level in the federal service.
“The prosecution has equally shown that he is facing other charges in different courts including the Federal High Court, the FCT High Court and another court in Akure.
“I hereby sentenced him to a term of six months on each of the seven-counts consecutively bringing it to a total of four years and two months in prison.
“In addition, he is to refund the sum of N17, 024, 017,90k to the coffers of the federal government failing which he will spend an additional year in prison, ” Justice Kutigi held.
Meanwhile, the convict had in his allocutus pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and to send him to the Kuje Correctional center, Abuja.
However, the prosecution counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, vehemently opposed his plea, describing the convict as a serial offender who does not deserve the mercy of court.
Ugwu was on June 28, 2015 arraigned by the ICPC on an eight-count charge of false statements and impersonation.
However, Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi struck out the charge of alleged impersonation of Ugwu to enable him to face prosecution for a similar charge before the Abuja division of Federal High Court.
Idris-Kutigi argued that five of the eight-count charges against Ugwu at the Abuja Federal High Court by the Inspector General of Police bordered on stealing and impersonation.
He, however, held that the substance of the other seven charges against Ugwu bordered on alleged false statements, which had no correlation with the charges before him.
He, therefore, struck out the charge of impersonation in the interest of justice.
The Commission said his alleged offence contravened Section 25 (1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 25 (1) (b) of the same act.
He was alleged to have drawn salaries and allowances up to N17.2 million between 2006 and 2016, after working for about 10 years as a medical doctor in the Federal Ministry of Health with fake documents.
Ugwu further allegedly used the fake documents to procure a staff identity card bearing the name of Dr. George Daniel Davidson, apply for annual leave as well as a post graduate training programme which would have conferred on him, a Masters degree in the Field of Epidemiology Practice.
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