The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that the Nigeria Police Force and five other federal institutions recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers discovered during its ongoing payroll verification exercise.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed the findings while giving details of the commission’s investigation into alleged payroll fraud across Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies.
According to the commission, a total of 908 suspected ghost workers were uncovered across at least 50 government institutions, leading to the recovery of about N942 million allegedly paid as fraudulent salaries.
The ICPC explained that ghost workers refer to fictitious names added to government payroll systems for the purpose of illegally receiving public funds. In some cases, officials allegedly insert names of relatives, friends or associates into payroll records despite such individuals not being legitimate employees.
Aliyu revealed that investigators uncovered cases where officials allegedly diverted salaries for multiple workers. He cited an example of an individual who reportedly added his wife, son and mother-in-law to the payroll while also receiving salaries linked to 12 other workers.
Among the affected institutions, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers, with 570 names identified during the exercise.
The National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 suspected fake workers, while the Federal Ministry of Works recorded 56 cases.
Other institutions affected include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24 suspected ghost workers and the Ministry of Defence with 19.
The Federal Ministry of Electricity and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each recorded 17 suspected cases, while the Federal Ministry of Health had 15 and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recorded 12.
The ICPC also listed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior among institutions affected by the payroll irregularities, although the number of suspected ghost workers identified in those offices was not disclosed.
The commission said the verification exercise forms part of broader efforts to eliminate payroll fraud, protect public resources and ensure that government salaries are paid only to legitimate workers.
