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Police Top Ghost Worker List as ICPC Uncovers 908 Fake Employees, Recovers N942m
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across several federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), leading to the recovery of about N942 million allegedly siphoned through fraudulent payroll payments.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, disclosed the findings, saying the investigation was launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments.
According to Aliyu, the probe exposed a widespread payroll fraud scheme in which fictitious names were inserted into government salary systems, allowing public funds to be diverted into private accounts.
He alleged that some senior public officials fraudulently enrolled relatives and associates on government payrolls, collecting salaries on their behalf for personal enrichment.
Aliyu cited one case where a suspect allegedly placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while also receiving the salaries of 12 other workers.
The investigation, which covered at least 50 federal MDAs, identified the Nigeria Police Force as having the highest number of suspected ghost workers, with 570 names flagged.
Other agencies affected include the National Water Resources Authority with 80 suspected ghost workers, 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 and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recorded 12.
BBC pidgin reports that Aliyu further revealed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior were also implicated in the investigation.
However, he said the commission withheld the number of affected names in those institutions as investigations remain ongoing.
The ICPC said the ongoing crackdown forms part of broader efforts to eliminate payroll fraud, strengthen accountability in the public service and prevent further loss of public funds.
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