The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered 908 ghost workers across at least 50 federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), exposing a major payroll fraud that allegedly led to the diversion of hundreds of millions of naira.
The anti-graft agency said it recovered about ₦942 million linked to fraudulent salary payments made to the fictitious workers.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu disclosed that the discovery followed an investigation launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments.
According to him, the probe exposed serious weaknesses in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and uncovered cases in which senior government officials allegedly inserted the names of relatives and associates into the federal payroll, despite them not being legitimate employees, before diverting the salaries for personal gain.
The commission said the investigation identified 908 ghost workers spread across no fewer than 50 federal MDAs.
Among the institutions affected were the Nigeria Police Force, the National Water Resources Authority, the Federal Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Power, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
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Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of ₦941,994,079.86 recovered during the ICPC’s investigation into the 2024 IPPIS payroll scam.
In a certified true copy of the judgment delivered by Justice B.F.M. Nyako in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/156/2026, the court granted the ICPC’s application seeking the permanent forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.
The order, issued on July 13, 2026, followed a Motion on Notice filed by the commission on March 26, 2026.
The court held that the sum of ₦941,994,079.86, seized during the investigation and domiciled in the ICPC Recovery Account, was reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Nyako consequently ordered that the entire amount be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
