Police Top List As ICPC Exposes 908 Fake Workers

 

Key Takeaways

• The ICPC uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across more than 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies, and recovered about N942 million from alleged salary fraud.
• ICPC chairman Musa Aliyu said the probe started in 2024 after pension payment irregularities, and found cases where officials allegedly added relatives and diverted salaries.
• The Nigeria Police Force had the highest figure with 570 suspected ghost workers, while investigations continue in affected offices like the Accountant-General and Interior.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across more than 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies.

Naija News reports that the anti-graft agency said about ₦942 million allegedly linked to fraudulent salary payments had been recovered during its investigation into the payroll scheme.

The Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu, said the investigation began in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments, according to a report by BBC Pidgin.

Aliyu explained that the term “ghost workers” referred to fictitious or ineligible persons whose names were fraudulently placed on government payrolls to receive salaries.

He said the commission discovered instances where senior government officials allegedly registered their relatives and associates as employees and diverted the monthly payments for personal use.

According to him, investigators identified a suspect who allegedly placed his wife, son and mother-in-law on a government payroll.

The same suspect was also accused of collecting salaries belonging to 12 other workers. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been determined by a court.

Police Record 570 Suspected Ghost Workers

The ICPC chairman said the investigation covered at least 50 federal institutions, although the number of fraudulent entries varied considerably among them.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) recorded the highest figure, with 570 suspected ghost workers identified on its payroll.

Aliyu said the National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 suspected fake employees, while the Federal Ministry of Works recorded 56.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had 24 suspected ghost workers, while 19 were reportedly uncovered at the Ministry of Defence.

The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each recorded 17 suspected fake workers.

The Federal Ministry of Health had 15, while 12 were discovered in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Aliyu added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior were also among the institutions affected by the alleged payroll fraud.

He, however, did not disclose the number of suspected ghost workers found in the two institutions, explaining that investigations were still ongoing.

The ICPC said its investigation was aimed at identifying those responsible for inserting fictitious names into government payrolls and recovering public funds lost through the practice.