ICPC uncovers ghost payrolls, official paying 14 family members

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered instances of ghost workers being added to government payrolls, including an official who enrolled 14 family members and another individual who allegedly collected 13 salaries. ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN), revealed this during the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award in Abuja.

Aliyu explained that the commission discovered individuals manipulating government payroll systems to receive multiple salaries, with one person enrolling 14 family members and another enrolling his wife, daughter, son, and other family members. The ICPC identified around 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging them to prove their employment status.

The commission spent a year investigating these cases, revealing that some ghost workers' names appeared on payroll documents with email addresses, while their bank account details were linked to other individuals. Aliyu emphasized that ghost workers not only affected salaries but also enabled fraudulent pension, mortgage, health insurance, and other benefits.

He stressed that the commission's interventions aimed to protect public resources and strengthen the economy, recovering over N24bn in ghost pension funds in 2024. Aliyu encouraged cross-agency collaboration and preventive measures to combat corruption, focusing on preventing corruption rather than solely relying on criminal prosecution.

The ICPC chairman also called for increased use of data and technology to combat corruption, stressing the importance of effective communication and reliable information to build public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.