A shocking payroll scandal has rocked the public service as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) uncovered officials allegedly turning government payrolls into family treasure chests.
The anti-graft agency revealed that one official allegedly smuggled 14 members of his family into the government payroll system, while another was accused of collecting as many as 13 salaries.
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, made the startling revelations 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.
Aliyu said investigations into ghost workers had exposed how some individuals manipulated payroll systems to siphon public funds through fake employment records.
According to him, one suspect enrolled 14 relatives as government workers while living in a religious hotel located within a public office environment and allegedly receiving salaries.
“We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family. He lived in a religious hotel, a hotel at the public office, receiving salaries,” Aliyu said.
He added that another individual allegedly placed his wife, daughter, son and other relatives on the payroll and collected 13 different salaries.
“Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries,” he said.
The ICPC chairman disclosed that the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging them to prove their legitimacy.
He said the agency spent about one year investigating the suspected ghost workers, uncovering how fraudulent names were inserted into official payroll systems.
Aliyu explained that some of the fake employees had complete details on government payrolls, including names and email addresses, but their bank account details belonged to other individuals.
“When they insert their names, you will see their name in the payroll. You will see their email. But when you check the account number, you will see the name of the person,” he said.
The ICPC boss warned that ghost workers created a chain of fraudulent benefits beyond salaries, including fake pensions, housing funds, mortgages and health insurance claims.
“Once there is a ghost worker, there is ghost pension, there is ghost mortgage, there is ghost housing fund, there is ghost health insurance,” he stated.
Aliyu revealed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion linked to ghost pension schemes in 2024 as part of efforts to protect public funds.
He said the ICPC was shifting focus from only prosecuting offenders to preventing corruption by strengthening systems and ensuring government projects deliver value to Nigerians.
“It is better for us to do that than to engage in filing criminal charges. How many charges can we file?” he asked.
The ICPC chairman also called for greater use of technology and reliable data in fighting corruption, stressing that transparency and effective communication were key to restoring public confidence.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotions Limited, Yusha’u Shuaib, said the annual lecture was aimed at promoting accountability, transparency and stronger governance through professional communication.
He said the gathering brought together leaders, professionals and communication experts committed to improving public service delivery and strengthening governance.
Don’t Miss Out! Join our WhatsApp Channel for instant news updates. Click here to join
ALSO READ:
SHOCKING! ICPC UNCOVERS 2 MORE FAKE AGENCIES IN PFIPC PROBE
ICPC uncovers man collecting salaries of more than 12 ghost workers
