The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered a government official who allegedly enrolled 14 members of his family as ghost workers on the public payroll system.
The Chairman of the Commission, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited (IMPR) in Abuja on Thursday.
Aliyu said the discovery was made during ongoing investigations into payroll fraud within government institutions, revealing how some individuals manipulated payroll systems to create fictitious employees and collect multiple salaries.
“We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family. He lived in a religious hotel, a hotel at the public office, receiving salaries,” Aliyu said.
He added that investigators uncovered another case involving a public official who allegedly placed his immediate family members on the government payroll.
“Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries,” he stated.
About 900 Suspected Ghost Workers Identified
According to the ICPC chairman, the commission has identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and has published their names to allow anyone affected to prove that they are genuine employees.
Aliyu explained that the commission spent one full year investigating the payroll fraud cases and uncovered several methods used to insert fictitious names into government salary systems.
“We spent one year, one single year, on ghost workers,” he said.
He explained that in many cases, the fictitious workers appeared legitimate on official payroll records.
“When they insert their names, you will see their name in the payroll. You will see their email. But when you check the account number, you will see the name of the person. So, that is how these things have been done,” he explained.
Fraud Extended Beyond Salaries
Aliyu warned that payroll fraud has broader financial implications for government because ghost workers could also become beneficiaries of pensions, mortgages, housing funds and health insurance schemes.
“Because, you know, once there is a ghost worker, there is ghost pension, there is ghost mortgage, there is ghost housing fund, there is ghost health insurance,” he said.
The ICPC chairman revealed that the commission recovered more than ₦24 billion in suspected ghost workers’ pension funds in 2024.
“In 2024, we recovered over ₦24 billion ghost workers pension,” he disclosed.
Focus On Prevention And Recovery
Aliyu said the commission is strengthening collaboration with other government agencies and adopting preventive measures aimed at blocking corruption before it occurs.
He noted that the ICPC is increasingly focusing on corruption prevention and the proper execution of public projects, rather than relying solely on criminal prosecution.
According to him, the commission has already recovered or secured significant government resources through interventions in public projects and related activities.
“It is better for us to do that than to engage in filing criminal charges. How many charges can we file?” he asked.
Aliyu added that the ultimate objective of the commission is to ensure that Nigerians receive value for public funds spent by government and that leakages through fraudulent payroll practices are eliminated.
