From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State government has uncovered a total of over N28 mllion fraudulent salary payments in its March 2025 workers payroll.
Musa Tanko Mohammed, Press Secretary to the Secretary to the State Government, said this figure involved fraudulent salary payments to individuals who are deceased or who have long retired from the service.
In a statement on Saturday, he disclosed that. “As part of the reform process, a Pay Parade Committee was established in the state and the committee deemed it necessary to involve all stakeholders.
“Consequently, the committee printed the March 2025 payroll vouchers and requested all Ministries , Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and Local Government Councils to study the payrolls and make necessary observations as a prelude to a comprehensive pay parade exercise scheduled to commence on Monday, the 28th of April.
Arising from the validation exercise, a disturbing irregularity was uncovered within the payroll system of Local Government Councils in the state”
“The findings revealed that 247 individuals have either retired from service or dead yet have been appearing in the payroll and their salaries running. These fraudulent salary payments amounts to sum of ₦27,824,395.40 for the month of March, 2025 alone.
“In a prompt and effective response and while further due diligence is being conducted to determine the extent of this apparent fraud and the perpetrators , the amount has been recovered and returned to the Local Government Treasury.
“This significant recovery underscores the administration’s unwavering dedication at entrenching governance, transparency, and responsible management of public resources” he stated.