ICPC uncovers 908 ghost workers, recovers ₦942m

The ICPC has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across 50 federal MDAs, recovering about ₦942 million in fraudulent salary payments, with the police recording the highest number.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across at least 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies, recovering about ₦942 million in allegedly fraudulent salary payments. Speaking on the findings, ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) said the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected fake workers, with 570 names identified on its payroll.

The National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 suspected cases, while the Federal Ministry of Works had 56, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24, and the Ministry of Defence 19. The Ministries of Electricity and Industry, Trade and Investment each recorded 17 suspected ghost workers, while the Ministry of Health had 15 and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service had 12. Aliyu also cited a case where a suspect allegedly added family members to the payroll and collected salaries for 12 workers.

The scale of the ghost worker problem is staggering. The police force alone accounted for more than 60% of the suspected cases, raising questions about the integrity of the payroll system within the country’s premier law enforcement agency. The discovery of ghost workers in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, the agency responsible for overseeing the civil service, is particularly concerning.

This echoes the 2012 pension fraud scandal, which also exposed systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s payroll systems. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a system so broken that fake workers can draw salaries for years without detection.

The winners: the ICPC, which has uncovered the fraud; and the Nigerian public, which may see some of the stolen funds recovered. The losers: the police force, which faces reputational damage; and the Nigerian government, which must implement stronger payroll controls.

Bottom Line: 908 ghost workers. ₦942 million stolen. The police force tops the list. That is not a payroll problem. That is a systemic failure.