ICPC Recovers N942 Million from Ghost Workers Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has successfully recovered N942 million associated with ghost workers embedded in various federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). This recovery was facilitated by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja, who granted an order for the seizure of N941,994,079.86 following an ex parte application filed by the ICPC.

The commission's investigation, part of a broader audit approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, uncovered extensive fraud linked to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), revealing hundreds of fictitious public servants across multiple MDAs. The ICPC published the names of 910 suspects benefiting from this alleged fraud.

The investigation, which began in 2023, identified 587 suspected ghost workers and highlighted that salaries were paid to non-existent personnel. The ICPC has placed restrictions on identified accounts and frozen the funds from August to November 2024.