The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 fake workers across several federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in a massive payroll fraud scheme.
The anti-graft agency announced that the discovery has led to the recovery of approximately ₦942 million linked to fraudulent salary payments made to these fictitious employees.
According to an interview granted to on a foreign radio programme yesterday, its Chairman, Musa Aliyu revealed that the widespread discovery stems from a comprehensive investigation launched by the commission in 2024. The probe was initially triggered after investigators detected significant irregularities in government pension payments.
The Commission defined “fake workers” as individuals whose names are fraudulently inserted into government payroll systems despite not being legitimate, active employees of the state.
Aliyu detailed how the investigation exposed severe cases of nepotism and financial diversion. Investigators uncovered instances where senior government officials allegedly enrolled their relatives and associates onto official payrolls, subsequently diverting the monthly salaries for their personal benefit. In one glaring example highlighted by the ICPC chairman, investigators found a suspect who had allegedly placed the names of his wife, son, and mother-in-law on the government payroll. The same suspect was also found to be collecting the salaries of 12 other non-existent workers.
The ICPC’s sweeping probe affected at least 50 federal ministries, departments, and agencies. While the fraud was widespread, certain institutions recorded significantly higher numbers of fictitious personnel than others. The Nigeria Police Force topped the list with the highest number of suspected fake workers.
Nigeria Police Force: 570; National Water Resources Authority: 80; Federal Ministry of Works: 56; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 24. Others are: Ministry of Defence: 19; Ministry of Power: 17; Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment: 17; Federal Ministry of Health: 15, and Office of the Head of the Civil Service: 12.
Aliyu noted that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior were also among the agencies where fake workers were discovered. However, he declined to disclose the specific number of affected names within those institutions, noting that investigations in those departments are still actively ongoing.
