By Our Correspondent, Kano
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 payroll fraud scandal. The anti-graft agency recovered about N942 million allegedly linked to fraudulent salary payments made to these fictitious employees.
The discovery followed an investigation launched by the ICPC in 2024 after detecting irregularities in pension payments. The investigation revealed that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was among the most affected MDAs, with thousands of ex-employees found on the payroll.
The ICPC’s findings also showed that some MDAs had instances of double salary payments, inclusion of fictitious names on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and use of fake identities to embezzle public funds. About 95 personnel across various MDAs were found to have names listed on both the payroll and nominal roll, with discrepancies emerging when their identities were verified.
The commission’s chairman, Musa Aliyu, stated that the ICPC is committed to tackling corruption and ensuring accountability in government agencies. The agency has initiated enforcement actions against 67 contractors and forced them to complete 966 projects worth N310 billion.
The ICPC’s investigation also revealed that 12,174 personnel were on the payroll but not on the service-wide nominal roll between January and December 2023, with a monetary value of N34,808,740,634.37. The commission is working with other agencies to recover the stolen funds and bring perpetrators to justice.
The Federal Government has taken steps to address payroll fraud, including the introduction of the IPPIS to checkmate such situations. However, the ICPC’s findings show that more needs to be done to prevent corruption in government agencies.
The ICPC is urging Nigerians to report any suspicious activities or corruption cases to the commission. The agency is committed to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring that corruption is tackled head-on.
By Editor -in-Chief MAHMOUD MUHAMMAD 07060766191
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