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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered widespread payroll fraud across government ministries, including cases where officials enrolled multiple family members to collect salaries for non-existent employees.
One official added 14 relatives to government payrolls while living in official accommodation, ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu told the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award in Abuja on Thursday.
Another suspect enrolled his wife, daughter and son and collected 13 salaries, Aliyu said.
The commission published the names of about 900 suspected ghost workers, giving them the opportunity to prove they were legitimate employees, Aliyu said.
ICPC investigators spent a year examining the cases, tracing how fictitious names were added to government payrolls, he said.
In some cases, names appeared on official payrolls with email addresses but were linked to bank accounts belonging to other individuals, according to Aliyu.
“When they insert their names, you will see their name in the payroll. You will see their email. But when you check the account number, you will see the name of the person,” he said.
Aliyu warned that fraudulent payroll entries could trigger additional costs, including ghost pensions, housing funds and health insurance claims.
The commission recovered more than N24 billion in ghost pension funds in 2024, Aliyu said.
Aliyu said the commission was moving beyond criminal prosecution to focus on preventing corruption and ensuring government projects were properly executed.
