The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered widespread payroll manipulation within government systems, highlighting a case where an official allegedly enrolled 14 family members to draw multiple public salaries.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu disclosed the findings during his keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award held in Abuja.
Details of the investigation and findings
The commission’s investigation spanned a full year and exposed several methods used to insert fictitious employees into official government payrolls:
Multiple salary collections: Aliyu revealed cases where single individuals systematically collected numerous monthly paychecks. In one instance, an official enrolled his wife, daughter, son, and other relatives to collect 13 separate salaries, while living in a religious hotel.
Fraudsters inserted legitimate-looking names and email addresses into the official payroll systems, while linking the account numbers to different individuals to divert the funds.
The ICPC identified approximately 900 suspected fictitious workers and published their names, giving the affected individuals an opportunity to verify their status as legitimate government employees.
Broader impact and financial recoveries
Aliyu warned that the implications of payroll fraud extend far beyond immediate salary payments, as ghost workers often become illegal beneficiaries of secondary state benefits:
“Once there is a ghost worker, there is ghost pension, there is ghost mortgage, there is ghost housing fund, there is ghost health insurance. In 2024, we recovered over N24 billion ghost workers pension.” — Musa Aliyu, ICPC Chairman
Strategic shift toward prevention
Moving forward, the ICPC plans to prioritise technological integration, data-driven tracking, and preventive measures over sole reliance on criminal prosecutions.
Aliyu emphasised that focusing on prevention and ensuring the proper execution of government projects is a more effective way to recover public resources and restore public trust in anti-corruption efforts.
