Police Record Highest Fake Workers In Payroll Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered 908 fake workers across more than 50 federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), recovering approximately ₦942 million allegedly paid out as fraudulent salaries.

The anti-corruption agency disclosed that the discovery followed an extensive investigation launched in 2024 after officials detected suspicious irregularities during a review of pension payments.

ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, revealed that the investigation exposed an elaborate payroll fraud allegedly orchestrated by some senior public officials who inserted the names of relatives, associates and non-existent employees into the Federal Government’s payroll system in order to divert public funds for personal enrichment.

According to Aliyu, investigators uncovered one particularly disturbing case involving a suspect who allegedly enrolled his wife, son and mother-in-law as government employees despite none of them being legitimately employed by the civil service. The suspect was also accused of collecting salaries for an additional 12 fictitious workers.

The commission said the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers, with 570 names identified during the investigation. Other agencies with significant numbers included the National Water Resources Authority, where 80 suspected fake workers were uncovered, and the Federal Ministry of Works, which recorded 56.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had 24 suspected ghost workers, while the Ministry of Defence recorded 19. The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each had 17 suspected fake workers, while the Federal Ministry of Health had 15.

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation was also affected, with 12 suspected ghost workers identified during the exercise.

Aliyu further disclosed that investigations also uncovered payroll irregularities involving the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior. However, he declined to reveal the exact number of suspected fake workers linked to the two institutions, explaining that investigations are still ongoing.

The ICPC described fake workers as individuals whose names are illegally inserted into government payroll systems despite not being genuine employees, allowing fraudsters to siphon public funds through salaries paid to non-existent workers.

The commission noted that the recovery of about ₦942 million represents only part of the funds traced so far, adding that investigations are continuing to identify all those involved in the payroll fraud scheme.

The anti-graft agency reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening transparency and accountability in the public service, stressing that anyone found culpable would face prosecution in accordance with the law.