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 (MDAs), leading to the recovery of about ₦942 million allegedly paid out through fraudulent salary schemes.
The commission disclosed that the discovery was made during an ongoing investigation into irregularities in the federal government’s payroll system.
Speaking on the development, ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, said the probe commenced in 2024 after investigators detected suspicious pension and salary payments.
According to Aliyu, the exercise uncovered widespread payroll fraud involving fictitious employees and individuals who were not entitled to government salaries.
He explained that “ghost workers are fictitious or ineligible persons whose names are illegally inserted into government payrolls to receive salaries.”
The ICPC chairman alleged that some senior public officials manipulated the payroll system by enrolling relatives and close associates as government workers before diverting the salaries for personal gain.
Aliyu revealed that one suspect allegedly placed his wife, son and mother-in-law on the government payroll.
“The same suspect was also found to have been collecting the salaries of 12 other workers,” he said, adding that investigations are still ongoing and no court has determined the allegations.
Police Record Highest Number
Providing a breakdown of the findings, Aliyu said the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers, with 570 names identified on its payroll.
He disclosed that the National Water Resources Authority had 80 suspected ghost workers, while the Federal Ministry of Works recorded 56.
Other agencies affected include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24 suspected cases, the Ministry of Defence with 19, and both the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with 17 each.
The Federal Ministry of Health was found to have 15 suspected ghost workers, while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recorded 12.
Aliyu also confirmed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior are under investigation over similar payroll irregularities but declined to disclose the number of suspected ghost workers uncovered in the two institutions.
“Investigations are still ongoing, and we are working to identify those responsible for inserting fictitious names into the payroll system and to recover all public funds lost through the fraud,” he stated.
The ICPC maintained that the exercise forms part of its broader efforts to eliminate payroll fraud, strengthen accountability in public institutions and prevent further losses of government funds through the ghost worker syndrome.
