Police top list as ICPC uncovers 908 ghost workers

Nigeria's Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified 908 suspected ghost workers across 50 federal ministries, departments, and agencies, recovering approximately N942 million. The commission's chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, revealed that these fictitious employees were inserted into government payrolls to fraudulently collect salaries.

“

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 affected institutions, with 570 individuals flagged as suspected fake workers. The National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 suspected ghost workers. Other ministries also reported significant numbers, including the Federal Ministry of Works (56), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (24), and Ministry of Defence (19).

“

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

Aliyu explained that ghost workers are fictitious names added to payrolls, with salaries sometimes diverted by officials who add relatives or associates. The ICPC uncovered a case where an individual allegedly placed his wife, son, and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting salaries for 12 other workers. The commission is investigating payroll fraud to curb the illicit practice and recover stolen funds.

“

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