ICPC Uncovers Payroll Fraud as Official Enrols 14 Family Members
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered alleged manipulation of government payroll systems, including a case involving an official who reportedly enrolled 14 family members as government employees.
The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited.
Aliyu said investigations into ghost workers had revealed various methods allegedly used to manipulate government payroll systems and divert public funds through multiple salaries.
According to him, one official allegedly enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll while another individual was found to have enrolled his wife, children and other relatives and collected 13 salaries.
“We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family. He lived in a religious hotel, a hotel at the public office, receiving salaries,” Aliyu said.
He added, “Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries.”
900 suspected ghost workers identified
The ICPC chairman said the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names to enable them to establish that they were legitimate government employees.
He said the commission subsequently conducted a year-long investigation into the cases to uncover how fictitious names were inserted into official payroll systems.
“We spent one year, one single year, on ghost workers,” Aliyu said.
He explained that in some cases, suspected ghost workers appeared on official payrolls with names and email addresses, but the bank accounts into which their salaries were paid were registered to different individuals.
“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. So, that is how these things have been done,” he said.
Aliyu warned that the financial implications of ghost workers extended beyond the payment of fraudulent salaries.
He said fictitious employees could also generate fraudulent pension, mortgage, housing fund and health insurance obligations.
“Because, you know, once there is a ghost worker, there is ghost pension, there is ghost mortgage, there is ghost housing fund, there is ghost health insurance,” he said.
ICPC recovers N24bn in ghost pension funds
The ICPC chairman disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24bn in ghost pension funds in 2024 as part of its efforts to protect public resources.
“In 2024, we recovered over N24 billion ghost workers pension,” he said.
Aliyu said the commission had strengthened collaboration with other government agencies and adopted preventive measures to detect corruption, recover public funds and block avenues for further losses.
He stressed that the ICPC was increasingly prioritising corruption prevention and ensuring that government projects were properly executed, rather than relying exclusively on criminal prosecution.
“It is better for us to do that than to engage in filing criminal charges. How many charges can we file?” he said.
According to him, the commission’s interventions in government projects and other areas had helped recover or secure public resources, with the ultimate objective of ensuring that Nigerians derived value from public expenditure.
ICPC seeks greater use of technology
Aliyu also advocated greater use of data and technology in the fight against corruption, saying reliable information and effective communication were essential to strengthening public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotions Limited, Yusha’u Shuaib, said the lecture was organised to promote transparency, accountability, good governance and professional communication.
“We are honoured to host yet another gathering of leaders, professionals, scholars, and communication experts committed to strengthening governance, promoting transparency, and advancing excellence in public communication,” Shuaib said.
