Anti-graft agency says investigation across 50 MDAs exposed fake names allegedly used to divert public funds…..
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), recovering about N942 million allegedly linked to fraudulent payroll payments.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu disclosed that the findings followed an investigation launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in government pension payments.
According to the anti-corruption agency, the probe revealed cases of payroll manipulation in which fictitious names were allegedly added to government salary systems to divert public resources.
Aliyu alleged that some public officials had enrolled relatives, associates and other individuals on government payrolls, with salaries collected for personal benefit.
He cited one case where an individual allegedly added the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law to the payroll while also receiving the salaries of 12 other workers.
The ICPC chairman said the investigation covered at least 50 federal MDAs, with the Nigeria Police Force recording the highest number of suspected ghost workers at 570.
Other institutions affected by the findings include:
- National Water Resources Authority — 80 suspected ghost workers
- Federal Ministry of Works — 56
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — 24
- Ministry of Defence — 19
- Ministry of Power — 17
- Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment — 17
- Federal Ministry of Health — 15
- Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation — 12
Aliyu added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior were also part of the investigation, although the commission has not released the number of suspected ghost workers identified in those institutions as inquiries continue.
The ICPC said the recovery and ongoing investigations form part of broader efforts to strengthen accountability and prevent the diversion of public funds through payroll fraud.
