ICPC Uncovers Official Who Enrolled 14 Family Members as Ghost Workers
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered an alleged ghost-worker scheme involving a government official who enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu disclosed the shocking case on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited.
According to Aliyu, the official allegedly inserted the names of 14 family members into the government payroll and received salaries linked to the fictitious workers. He also said the official lived in a religious hotel located within a public office while benefiting from the arrangement.
The ICPC chairman disclosed that another individual was also found to have enrolled his wife, daughter, son and other relatives on the government payroll and allegedly collected as many as 13 salaries.
The revelations followed a year-long investigation by the anti-corruption agency into suspected manipulation of government payroll systems. Investigators reportedly identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names to give those affected an opportunity to prove that they were genuine government employees.
Aliyu explained that some of the suspected fraud was difficult to detect because the names and email addresses of alleged ghost workers appeared correctly in official payroll records. However, when investigators checked the bank account details linked to the salaries, they allegedly found that the accounts were registered to different individuals.
The ICPC chairman warned that the impact of ghost workers goes beyond the payment of salaries. He said fictitious employees could also generate fraudulent pension, mortgage, housing and health insurance obligations for the government.
The commission also disclosed that it recovered more than N24 billion in ghost pension funds in 2024. Aliyu said the agency is increasingly focusing on preventing corruption and blocking financial leakages rather than relying only on criminal prosecutions.
The latest disclosure has renewed concerns about weaknesses in Nigeria’s public payroll system and the loss of government funds through fraudulent employment records. The ICPC said its investigations and preventive measures are aimed at protecting public resources and ensuring that funds meant for Nigerians are not diverted through corrupt practices.
