The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified the Nigeria Police Force and several federal ministries and agencies as having the highest number of suspected ghost workers uncovered during a nationwide payroll verification exercise.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed the findings in an interview reported by BBC Pidgin on Wednesday, saying the commission uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across at least 50 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and recovered about ₦942 million in fraudulent salary payments.
According to the commission, ghost workers are fictitious names inserted into government payrolls to fraudulently collect salaries, often with the proceeds diverted by officials.
Aliyu revealed that investigators uncovered a case in which a suspect allegedly placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting salaries for 12 other fictitious workers.
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 ghost workers, while the Federal Ministry of Works had 56.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded 24 suspected ghost workers, while the Ministry of Defence accounted for 19.
Other institutions identified include the Federal Ministry of Electricity and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, with 17 suspected ghost workers each, the Federal Ministry of Health with 15, and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation with 12.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior were also listed among affected institutions, although the ICPC did not disclose the number of suspected ghost workers found in those offices.
The commission said investigations into the payroll fraud are ongoing as efforts continue to recover public funds and prosecute those responsible.
