ICPC Uncovers 908 Ghost Workers in Nigeria's Payroll Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) identified 908 suspected ghost workers during a payroll verification exercise across federal government institutions. ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) revealed that the Nigeria Police Force had the highest number of suspected fake workers, totaling 570.

Other institutions affected included the National Water Resources Authority with 80 suspected fake workers, the Federal Ministry of Works with 56, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24, and the Ministry of Defence with 19. The commission reported recovering about N942 million in fraudulent salaries.

Ghost workers are fictitious names added to government payrolls to illegally collect salaries. In one case, an individual was found to have added the names of his wife, son, and mother-in-law to the payroll while also collecting salaries for 12 other workers.

Investigations into this payroll fraud, initiated in 2024, are ongoing.