The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), recovering about ₦942 million allegedly lost to payroll fraud.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said the discovery followed an investigation launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments.
According to him, the probe uncovered widespread payroll manipulation, with fictitious names allegedly inserted into government salary systems to divert public funds.
Aliyu alleged that some senior public officials enrolled relatives and associates on government payrolls, citing one case in which a suspect allegedly added the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law while collecting the salaries of 12 other workers.
The investigation covered at least 50 federal MDAs. The Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected ghost workers with 570, followed by the National Water Resources Authority with 80 and the Federal Ministry of Works with 56.
Other affected institutions include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The ICPC says investigations are ongoing in other agencies, including the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior.
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