Martins Ugwu, a 54-year-old who fraudulently used his best man’s medical school certificates to gain employment at the Federal Ministry of Health, has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison.
Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jabi, Abuja, delivered the ruling on Tuesday.
Ugwu was convicted on a seven-count charge brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Justice Kutigi sentenced him to six months for each count, with the terms to run consecutively, making a total of four years and two months.
The judge highlighted the need to deter others from misrepresenting their qualifications. He noted that Ugwu showed no remorse during his plea for leniency and attempted to shift blame onto others.
Justice Kutigi expressed concern over the growing issue of quack doctors in Nigeria. He pointed out that Ugwu used fake certificates to join the Federal Civil Service in 2006, rising to a senior role in the Federal Ministry of Health before his deception was uncovered.
The judge also noted the potential harm Ugwu may have caused while practising medicine.
Despite being a first-time offender with a young family, Ugwu’s lack of remorse and the seriousness of his offence were cited as reasons for the severity of the sentence.
Justice Kutigi also ordered Ugwu to repay the N17,024,017.90 he fraudulently earned as salaries and allowances between 2006 and 2016. Failure to do so would result in an additional one-year jail term.
The court noted that Ugwu was already in custody in Akure, Ondo State, for another criminal case. Justice Kutigi directed that he be returned to Akure to face the ongoing trial there after serving his sentence.
Ugwu was convicted in absentia on 3 October, with sentencing delayed until he was apprehended and brought to court. His transfer from Akure prison was facilitated through inter-agency collaboration by the ICPC.
The case, marked CR/273/2015, revealed that Ugwu assumed the identity of Dr. George Daniel Davidson, his best man, using forged certificates to secure employment, obtain a staff identity card, apply for annual leave, and enrol in a postgraduate training programme in Epidemiology Practice.
He unlawfully earned over N17 million during his ten years as a medical doctor at the Federal Ministry of Health using the fraudulent documents.
