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 lost through a fraudulent payroll scheme.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said the discovery followed an investigation launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments and began examining possible payroll fraud within government institutions.
According to the commission, the investigation revealed cases where fictitious names were allegedly inserted into government payroll systems to illegally receive public funds.
Aliyu alleged that some public officials enrolled relatives, associates and other unauthorized persons into government salary systems and diverted the payments for personal gain.
He cited a case where a suspect allegedly added the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law to the payroll while also collecting 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 include the National Water Resources Authority with 80 suspected ghost workers, the Federal Ministry of Works with 56, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24, and the Ministry of Defence with 19.
The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each recorded 17 cases, while the Federal Ministry of Health had 15 and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recorded 12.
Aliyu added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior were also linked to the investigation, although the number of affected names in those institutions has not been disclosed as inquiries continue.
The ICPC said the ongoing probe is part of efforts to strengthen accountability, block leakages in public finances and ensure that government funds are not diverted through fraudulent payroll practices.
