ICPC’s Ghost workers investigation reveals 908 suspected fake employees and N942 million payroll recovery across government institutions
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies, with the Nigeria Police Force recording the highest number of alleged fake employees.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed the findings during the commission’s ongoing investigation into payroll fraud in federal government institutions, according to a BBC Pidgin report on Wednesday.
The commission said the exercise led to the recovery of about N942 million allegedly paid as fraudulent salaries to individuals who were not legitimate government workers.
Ghost workers refer to fictitious names added to government payrolls to illegally receive salaries. The ICPC said some cases involved officials inserting relatives, associates or other individuals into payroll systems despite their lack of employment with the affected institutions.
Aliyu revealed that investigators uncovered cases where individuals allegedly manipulated payroll records for personal gain.
“One case involved a man who placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting the salaries of 12 workers,” he said.
Ghost workers investigation identifies police as highest offender
The Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers among the institutions examined by the ICPC.
Aliyu said investigators identified 570 individuals suspected to be fake workers within the police payroll system.
“For this operation, we identified 570 people whom we suspect are among the fake workers collecting salaries without working,” the ICPC chairman said.
The commission’s findings place the police ahead of other government institutions affected by the payroll fraud investigation.
Ghost workers investigation reveals agency payroll concerns
The National Water Resources Authority recorded the second-highest number of suspected fake workers, with 80 names identified during the verification exercise.
“For this agency, we identified 80 names of people collecting salaries even though they are not workers of the agency,” Aliyu said.
The Federal Ministry of Works followed with 56 suspected ghost workers, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded 24 cases.
The Ministry of Defence had 19 suspected fake workers, with the ICPC chairman stating that investigators identified individuals allegedly receiving salaries despite not being legitimate employees.
Ghost workers investigation covers multiple ministries
Other institutions affected by the payroll fraud investigation include the Federal Ministry of Electricity and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, which each recorded 17 suspected ghost workers.
The Federal Ministry of Health had 15 suspected cases, while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recorded 12.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior were also listed among institutions affected by the alleged payroll fraud. However, the ICPC did not disclose the number of suspected fake workers identified in those offices.
Ghost workers investigation continues after payroll recovery
The ICPC said the investigation into payroll fraud across federal institutions began in 2024 and remains ongoing.
The commission explained that the verification exercise aims to identify fraudulent entries, prevent further financial losses and strengthen accountability within government payroll systems.
The discovery of suspected ghost workers adds to ongoing concerns over financial leakages in Nigeria’s public sector, where government agencies have repeatedly faced allegations of payroll irregularities.
The ICPC has not announced final sanctions against individuals linked to the alleged payroll fraud but said investigations and further actions would continue based on its findings.
The commission said the nationwide payroll verification exercise, which commenced in 2024, forms part of broader anti-corruption measures designed to identify fraudulent salary payments, recover public funds and strengthen integrity across federal government institutions.
