The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a final forfeiture order for ₦941,994,079.86 linked to a major payroll fraud involving suspected ghost workers on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
According to an official statement signed by the Head of Media and Public Communications of the ICPC, Mr. J. Okor Odey, the order was granted by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, following an ex parte application filed by the Commission on behalf of the Federal Government, seeking the forfeiture of funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The Commission said its investigations uncovered a large-scale payroll fraud involving hundreds of non-existent public servants, with ₦941.9 million traced to bank accounts linked to the scheme. The fraud was detected after a systems study conducted by the ICPC in 2023 revealed the existence of numerous ghost workers embedded in the payrolls of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The statement explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, subsequently approved a comprehensive audit of the IPPIS, leading to a joint investigation by the ICPC and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in April 2024.
The investigation uncovered 587 suspected ghost workers whose fictitious IPPIS identities were allegedly created across multiple MDAs. Salaries were reportedly paid over an extended period into accounts belonging to individuals and companies, with several accounts receiving multiple salary payments despite discrepancies between account holders’ names and those of the purported employees.
The ICPC said it imposed Post No Debit (PND) restrictions on all identified accounts between August and November 2024, freezing funds suspected to be proceeds of fraud.
The affected institutions include the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministries of Defence, Education, Agriculture and Rural Development, Works, Water Resources and Interior, the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, the University of Benin, the University of Calabar, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Commission further disclosed that a verification exercise carried out in 2025 cleared 120 civil servants whose identities and employment status were confirmed, leading to their reinstatement on the IPPIS platform. However, investigations found that 467 bank accounts remained linked to unverified individuals whose identities could not be established.
As part of the legal proceedings, the ICPC published the names of 910 suspected beneficiaries of the alleged payroll fraud in Daily Trust and Punch newspapers on March 18, 2026, in compliance with the court’s directive.
According to the Commission’s prosecution counsel, Mr. Hamza Sani, detailed records of the affected bank accounts, including IPPIS numbers, names of the purported workers and beneficiaries’ banking details, were presented before the court as evidence.
In her ruling, Justice Nyako ordered the final forfeiture of the frozen funds to the Federal Government, declaring: “That an Order is hereby made for the Final Forfeiture to the Federal Republic of Nigeria the Sum of ₦941,994,079.86 seized during investigation into the IPPIS Payroll scam in the year 2024.”
The ICPC reaffirmed its commitment to combating corruption and promoting transparency, accountability and good governance through the rule of law.
