ICPC uncovers official who put 14 family members on govt payroll

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has discovered numerous instances of ghost workers, individuals who have been fraudulently inserted into government payrolls. During a lecture in Abuja, ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu revealed that one official had enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll, while another allegedly collected 13 salaries for family members.

Aliyu emphasized that these individuals manipulated the government payroll systems to receive multiple salaries, highlighting the extent of the problem. The commission has identified around 900 suspected ghost workers and has published their names, challenging them to prove their legitimacy. Aliyu also disclosed that the commission spent a year investigating these cases, uncovering methods used to insert fictitious names into payrolls.

In some instances, the ghost workers' names appeared on official payrolls along with email addresses, while the corresponding bank account details were linked to other individuals. The ICPC's intervention aims to protect public resources, prevent corruption, and ensure the proper execution of government projects. In 2024, the commission recovered over N24 billion in ghost pension funds.

Aliyu stressed the importance of using data and technology in combating corruption and called for greater public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.