•••Nigeria Police Force Tops Fraud List with 570 Fictitious Employees
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across at least 50 Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), successfully recovering ₦942 million fraudulently disbursed through government payrolls.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed that the investigation began in 2024 following red flags spotted during an audit of federal pension payments.
The probe revealed widespread exploitation of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), where fraudulent officials systematically funneled state funds into personal accounts using fake identities and enlisting relatives.
Among the affected institutions, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of fictitious workers, accounting for 570 out of the 908 flagged positions.
Other heavily impacted bodies include the National Water Resources Authority with 80 ghost workers, the Federal Ministry of Works with 56, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24, and the Federal Ministry of Defence with 19.
Fake personnel were also detected in the Federal Ministry of Electricity (17), Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (17), Federal Ministry of Health (15), and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (12).
Investigators uncovered extreme cases of insider fraud, including an official who allegedly enrolled his wife, son, and mother-in-law on the government payroll while simultaneously drawing salaries for 12 other non-existent workers.
The ICPC confirmed that verification exercises remain active across remaining MDAs, including the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior, as anti-corruption officers move to recover additional funds and prepare criminal indictments against culprits.
