RismadarVoice Reporters, July 22, 2026
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered 908 suspected fake workers across several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), exposing a payroll fraud scheme that allegedly diverted hundreds of millions of naira from government coffers.
The anti-corruption agency disclosed that it has recovered about ₦942 million allegedly linked to fraudulent salary payments made to the fictitious employees.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, said the discovery followed an investigation launched in 2024 after the commission detected irregularities in pension payments.
According to him, the investigation uncovered widespread payroll manipulation involving the insertion of non-existent employees into government payroll systems, with salaries allegedly diverted by public officials for personal gain.
Aliyu said investigators discovered a case in which a suspect allegedly placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while also collecting the salaries of 12 other workers.
The ICPC chairman disclosed that the investigation covered at least 50 federal ministries, departments and agencies, with some institutions recording significantly higher numbers of suspected fake workers than others.
According to the findings, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the highest number of suspected fake workers with 570 names.
Other affected agencies include the National Water Resources Authority, which recorded 80 fake workers, followed by the Federal Ministry of Works with 56.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had 24 suspected fake workers, while the Ministry of Defence recorded 19.
Aliyu further stated that the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment each had 17 suspected fake workers, while the Federal Ministry of Health recorded 15. The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had 12 suspected fake workers.
He added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior were also among the agencies where fictitious employees were uncovered, although he did not disclose the number of affected names in those institutions, citing ongoing investigations.
The ICPC said investigations are continuing as it intensifies efforts to recover additional public funds and identify all individuals involved in the alleged payroll fraud.
