ICPC uncovers 908 ghost workers, police top list

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Nigeria has identified 908 suspected ghost workers across at least 50 government ministries, departments, and agencies. The commission also recovered approximately N942 million allegedly paid as fraudulent salaries during its payroll verification exercise. Ghost workers are fictitious names added to government payrolls to illegally collect salaries, or salaries are diverted by officials who add undeclared relatives or associates.

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For this operation, we identified 570 people whom we suspect are among the fake workers collecting salaries without working.

The Nigeria Police Force topped the list of institutions with suspected fake workers, with the ICPC identifying 570 individuals. The National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 suspected fake workers, while the Federal Ministry of Works had 56. Other ministries and agencies with identified fake workers include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (24), Ministry of Defence (19), Ministry of Electricity (17), Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (17), Ministry of Health (15), and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (12).

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For this agency, we identified 80 names of people collecting salaries even though they are not workers of the agency.

ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu stated that investigators uncovered a case where a man allegedly placed his wife, son, and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting salaries for 12 workers. The investigations into payroll fraud, which began in 2024, are ongoing. The commission aims to curb financial malfeasance within federal government institutions.

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For the Ministry of Defence, we identified 19 people acting as fake workers.