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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered an alleged payroll fraud involving a government official accused of placing 14 members of his family on the public payroll.
The anti-corruption agency also identified another individual who allegedly enrolled his wife, children and other relatives as government workers and received 13 salaries.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited.
Aliyu said investigations into alleged ghost workers had exposed various methods used to manipulate government payroll systems and divert public funds through multiple salaries.
According to him, one of the cases uncovered by the commission involved an individual who allegedly registered 14 members of his family as government employees.
He said another individual allegedly enrolled his wife, children and other relatives on the government payroll and collected 13 salaries.
The ICPC chairman said the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging those affected to prove that they were genuine employees.
He said the investigation, which lasted about a year, revealed how fictitious identities were allegedly inserted into government payroll databases.
Aliyu explained that in some cases, the names and email addresses of purported employees appeared on payroll records, while their bank account details were linked to different individuals.
He warned that payroll fraud could extend beyond salaries, with fictitious beneficiaries potentially being created for pensions, mortgages, housing funds and health insurance schemes.
The ICPC chairman disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion allegedly linked to ghost pension arrangements in 2024.
He said the commission was increasingly focusing on preventive measures and interventions designed to protect public resources rather than relying solely on criminal prosecution.
According to him, preventing the loss of public funds was more effective than waiting until corruption occurred before pursuing prosecution.
Aliyu said the commission had recovered or protected government resources through interventions in public projects and other areas, stressing that its priority was to ensure that public funds translated into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
He also advocated greater use of data and technology in the fight against corruption, saying access to accurate and reliable information was essential to improving transparency and strengthening public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
Payroll fraud and ghost-worker schemes have remained a recurring challenge in Nigeria’s public sector, with anti-corruption and government agencies using payroll verification, biometric systems and data analysis to identify fictitious employees and irregular salary payments.
The ICPC’s latest disclosure highlights how payroll manipulation can involve not only fictitious workers but also alleged multiple enrolment of relatives and the diversion of public funds through salary and pension-related schemes.
The allegations remain subject to investigation and any applicable legal proceedings.
