The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered cases of payroll fraud involving the alleged creation of ghost workers, with one government official reportedly enrolling 14 family members to collect multiple salaries.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited (IMPR) in Abuja.
Aliyu said investigations by the commission revealed various methods allegedly used to insert fictitious employees into government payroll systems and divert public funds.
According to him, one individual allegedly enrolled 14 members of his family on the payroll, while another reportedly enrolled his wife, children and other relatives and received 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.
The ICPC chairman disclosed that the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names to enable genuine employees among them to establish their identities.
He said the investigation lasted about a year and uncovered cases where fictitious employees appeared to have legitimate names and email addresses on official payroll systems, while the bank accounts linked to their records belonged to other individuals.
Aliyu warned that payroll fraud could have wider consequences beyond the payment of salaries, as fictitious employees could also become beneficiaries of pensions, mortgages, housing funds and health insurance schemes.
He disclosed that the ICPC recovered more than N24 billion in suspected ghost workers’ pension funds in 2024.
The commission, he added, is strengthening collaboration with other government agencies while adopting preventive measures to curb corruption and recover public resources.
Aliyu said the ICPC was increasingly focusing on preventing corruption and ensuring that government projects were properly executed, rather than relying solely on criminal prosecution.
He stressed that the ultimate objective was to ensure that Nigerians received value for government expenditure.
The ICPC chairman also called for greater use of data and technology in the fight against corruption, noting that reliable information and effective communication were essential to strengthening public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
