The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a final forfeiture order for N941,994,079.86 allegedly linked to a ghost worker fraud uncovered during investigations into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the ICPC on behalf of the Federal Government. The commission sought the forfeiture of the funds, which it alleged were proceeds of unlawful activities.
The ruling followed an extensive investigation into an alleged payroll fraud involving hundreds of fictitious public servants across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
As part of the legal process, the ICPC said it published the names of 910 suspected beneficiaries of the alleged scheme in Daily Trust and The Punch on 18 March 2026, inviting anyone with a legitimate claim to the funds to come forward.
According to the commission, the investigation arose from a 2023 systems review that identified widespread irregularities in the IPPIS and uncovered numerous ghost workers on government payrolls.
Following the findings, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a comprehensive audit of the payroll platform, leading to a joint investigation by the ICPC and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in April 2024.
The commission said the investigation identified 587 suspected ghost workers on the IPPIS platform. It alleged that fictitious identities had been created for non-existent personnel across multiple MDAs, with salaries paid over several years into bank accounts belonging to individuals and companies.
According to the ICPC, some of the account names did not match those of the purported employees, while others allegedly received multiple salary payments simultaneously.
To preserve the suspected proceeds of crime, the commission placed Post No Debit (PND) restrictions on the identified accounts between August and November 2024, freezing funds amounting to N941.9 million.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) have called for greater transparency and public accountability in the management of assets recovered from corruption.
HURIWA said the success of Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign should be measured not only by court-ordered forfeitures but also by how recovered assets benefit ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the organisation commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for securing a series of court rulings that resulted in the permanent forfeiture of assets allegedly linked to unlawful activities.
The group cited the forfeiture of more than N4.6 billion worth of jewellery, N4.293 billion in luxury vehicles, cash recovered from businesswoman Aisha Achimugu, the Supreme Court’s restoration of the forfeiture of assets linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, and the forfeiture of 52 luxury housing units in Lagos, among other recoveries.
According to HURIWA, the rulings have strengthened public confidence in the judiciary’s role in combating corruption.
HEDA also described the judgment as a significant boost to the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
Its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, commended the anti-graft agency for pursuing the case to its conclusion and praised the judiciary for upholding the rule of law.
Suraju said the judgment demonstrated that anti-corruption agencies could achieve meaningful results in cases involving both public officials and private individuals when investigations and prosecutions were conducted professionally and without undue interference.
