From the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) cones this shocking news that it has uncovered 908 fake workers in several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), in a payroll fraud that allegedly gulped away hundreds of millions of naira.
The agency said it recovered about N942 million allegedly linked to fraudulent salary payments made to the fictitious employees.
According to BBC Pidgin, chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu, said the discovery came after an investigation launched by the commission in 2024 after it detected discrepancies in pension payments.
ICPC described fake workers as individuals whose names are fraudulently imputed into government payrolls despite not being bonafide employees.
Aliyu stated that the probe uncovered cases where senior officials allegedly enrolled relatives and associates on payrolls and diverted the salaries for personal use.
He noted that investigators discovered a suspect who allegedly placed the names of his wife, son and mother-in-law on the payroll while collecting the salaries of 12 other workers.
The Nigeria Police Force topped the list with 570 suspected fake workers.
Aliyu added that the National Water Resources Authority had 80 fake workers, while the federal ministry of works had 56.
He informed that the ministry of foreign affairs recorded 24 fake workers, while the ministry of defence had 19.
The ministry of power and the ministry of industry, trade and investment had 17 fake workers each, the federal ministry of health had 15, and the office of the head of the civil service of the federation had 12.
