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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 fake workers across several federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), recovering about N942 million allegedly diverted through fraudulent salary payments.
The Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Aliyu, disclosed the development, saying the discovery followed an investigation launched by the commission in 2024 after irregularities were detected in pension payments.
According to Aliyu, the investigation exposed a widespread payroll fraud involving fictitious employees whose names were illegally inserted into government payroll systems to siphon public funds.
He explained that fake workers are individuals who are fraudulently listed on government payrolls despite not being legitimate employees, enabling corrupt officials to divert their salaries for personal gain.
The ICPC chairman said investigations revealed that some senior public officials enrolled relatives and associates on government payrolls and collected their salaries over an extended period.
He cited one case in which a suspect allegedly placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting salaries meant for 12 other fictitious workers.
Aliyu disclosed that the probe covered at least 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies, with some institutions recording significantly higher numbers of fake workers than others.
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According to the findings, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected fake workers with 570 names on its payroll.
The National Water Resources Authority followed with 80 fake workers, while the Federal Ministry of Works had 56.
Other affected agencies include the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 24 fake workers, the Ministry of Defence with 19, the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with 17 each, the Federal Ministry of Health with 15 and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation with 12.
Aliyu added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Interior were also affected by the payroll fraud, although he did not disclose the number of fake workers identified in those institutions, noting that investigations were still ongoing.
The ICPC chairman said the commission had already recovered N942 million linked to the fraudulent salary payments and pledged that all those found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to strengthening transparency and accountability in the public service, adding that efforts to eliminate payroll fraud and protect public funds would continue.
