The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered cases of alleged payroll fraud involving government workers, including an official who reportedly enrolled 14 members of his family as government employees.
The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited.
Aliyu said investigations by the commission revealed how individuals manipulated government payroll systems to receive multiple salaries. He said one official enrolled 14 members of his family, while another allegedly added his wife, children and other relatives to the payroll and collected 13 salaries.
According to the ICPC chairman, the commission identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging those affected to establish that they were genuine government employees. He said the investigation lasted about a year and uncovered various methods used to introduce fictitious names into government payroll systems.
Aliyu explained that in some cases, the names and email addresses of alleged ghost workers appeared on official payroll records, while the bank accounts linked to the salaries belonged to other individuals. He warned that the financial consequences extended beyond salaries to pensions, housing benefits, health insurance and other government entitlements.
The ICPC chairman also disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion in ghost pension funds in 2024. He said the agency was increasingly focusing on preventing corruption, protecting public resources and using data and technology to detect fraudulent practices.
Aliyu stressed that preventing corruption and recovering public resources remained more effective than relying solely on criminal prosecution, noting that the commission was strengthening collaboration with other government agencies to safeguard public funds.
