ICPC Uncovers 908 Ghost Workers, Police Top Payroll Fraud Cases

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 ghost workers across several federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), recovering about N942 million believed to have been paid through a fraudulent payroll scheme.

The discovery followed an investigation that began in 2024 after the anti-corruption agency noticed irregularities in pension payments. The probe later uncovered widespread abuse of the government payroll system, where fake names were allegedly inserted to divert public funds.

ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, as reported by BBC Pidgin, said the investigation found that some senior public officials allegedly enrolled family members and close associates as government workers even though they were not legitimately employed. Salaries paid to those names were allegedly diverted for personal benefit.

According to the commission, one of the cases involved a suspect who allegedly placed his wife, son and mother-in-law on the government payroll. The same individual was also accused of collecting the salaries of 12 other workers, adding to the financial losses uncovered during the investigation.

The commission said the exercise covered at least 50 federal MDAs. Among the institutions investigated, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers, with 570 names identified on its payroll.

Other agencies affected by the investigation include the National Water Resources Authority, where 80 suspected ghost workers were uncovered, the Federal Ministry of Works with 56, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24, and the Ministry of Defence with 19.

The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each recorded 17 suspected ghost workers, while the Federal Ministry of Health had 15. The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation accounted for 12 names linked to the alleged payroll fraud.

The ICPC also disclosed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior are part of the ongoing investigation. However, the commission did not reveal the number of suspected ghost workers linked to those institutions, explaining that inquiries are still in progress.

The latest findings form part of the commission’s efforts to clean up the federal payroll system, recover public funds and hold those involved in payroll fraud accountable.