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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered alleged widespread manipulation of government payroll systems, including cases involving officials who enrolled multiple family members and collected salaries meant for fictitious workers.

The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this 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 by the commission into ghost workers had uncovered how individuals manipulated government payroll systems to divert public funds and receive multiple salaries.

According to him, one official was found to have enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll.

“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.

The ICPC chairman disclosed that another individual allegedly enrolled his wife, daughter, son and other relatives on the payroll and received as many as 13 salaries.

“Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries,” he said.

Aliyu said the commission had also identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging those affected to establish that they were genuine government employees.

“We now secured income of about 900 ghost workers, which we published their names in papers,” he said.

He explained that the commission subsequently spent about one year investigating the suspected ghost workers and uncovering how fictitious employees were inserted into official payroll systems.

“We spent one year, one single year, on ghost workers,” Aliyu said.

According to him, some of the fraudulent entries appeared legitimate because the names and email addresses of the alleged ghost workers were listed on government payrolls, while the bank accounts attached to the salaries 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. So, that is how these things have been done,” he explained.

Aliyu warned that the financial implications of ghost workers went beyond the salaries paid to fictitious employees, noting that such fraudulent entries could also create liabilities for government through pensions, housing, mortgages and health insurance.

“Because, you know, 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 said.

The ICPC chairman said the commission’s interventions were aimed at protecting public resources and reducing the financial burden created by corruption and fraudulent government expenditure.

He also disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion in suspected ghost pension funds in 2024.

“In 2024, we recovered over N24 billion ghost workers pension,” Aliyu said.

Aliyu said the ICPC had increasingly adopted preventive measures, data analysis and collaboration with other government agencies to identify leakages and recover public resources.

He stressed that the commission was shifting greater attention towards preventing corruption and ensuring that government projects and expenditures delivered value to Nigerians, rather than relying solely on criminal prosecution.

“It is better for us to do that than to engage in filing criminal charges. How many charges can we file?” he said

The ICPC chairman said the commission had recovered or secured government resources through interventions in public projects and other areas, adding that its ultimate objective was to ensure that Nigerians benefited from funds allocated for public services.

He further called for greater deployment of data and technology in the fight against corruption, stressing that access to reliable information and effective communication were crucial to building public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotions Limited, Yusha’u Shuaib, said the lecture was organised to promote stronger governance through transparency, accountability and professional communication.

“We are honoured to host yet another gathering of leaders, professionals, scholars, and communication experts committed to strengthening governance, promoting transparency, and advancing excellence in public communication,” Shuaib said.

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The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed legislation to Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:00 pm West Africa Time (WAT).

The extension, announced on Thursday, is aimed at widening stakeholder participation and giving individuals, institutions and organisations additional time to prepare substantive contributions to the proposed reform of Nigeria’s policing architecture.

The Working Group, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the extension underscores its commitment to an inclusive and consultative process that draws on the expertise and experiences of Nigerians and key stakeholders.

The proposed National Policing Bill is expected to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for a more effective policing system capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, while strengthening professionalism, accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.

In a statement, the Working Group urged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional bodies, academics, technical experts and other interested members of the public to use the additional window to submit well-considered memoranda and position papers.

It said the stakeholder engagement was particularly important given the far-reaching implications of the proposed legislation for the future of policing and internal security across the country.

Among the critical issues expected to feature in the submissions are sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability mechanisms, and safeguards against political interference and abuse.

According to the Working Group, these issues require broad-based consultation to ensure that the proposed framework is not only operationally effective but also accountable, sustainable and responsive to the diverse security needs of communities across the federation.

“All submissions must be made on or before 5:00 pm WAT on Friday, August 21, 2026,” the Working Group said, adding that submissions must be made exclusively through the official National Policing Bill portal, nationalpolicingbill.com.

The Working Group said it would, at the conclusion of its assignment, present a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for onward legislative processing.

It expressed appreciation to stakeholders who had already submitted memoranda and encouraged others wishing to participate in the process to take advantage of the extension.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured residents of Osun State that adequate security measures have been put in place to protect voters before, during and after Saturday’s governorship election.

Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday through Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who represented him at the APC mega campaign rally in Osogbo organised in support of the party’s candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.

The President urged eligible voters to come out and freely exercise their constitutional right without fear of intimidation, stressing that security agencies had been deployed across the state to maintain peace.

He also appealed to Osun voters to make their choice wisely, while calling on the electorate to support the candidate they believe would best serve their interests.

At the rally, Akpabio expressed confidence that the APC was gaining significant support across Osun, pointing to the large crowd and the presence of prominent political figures as evidence of the party’s growing strength.

He also acknowledged support from figures outside the APC, including former Osun governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, while referencing the reported endorsement of Oyebamiji by the Accord Party leadership.

However, Akpabio raised concerns about the poor condition of the Ibadan-Osun road, saying the state deserved better infrastructure and greater development.

With the election just days away, the APC rally provided an opportunity for the party to consolidate its campaign, reassure voters and project confidence ahead of Saturday’s crucial poll.

The election is expected to attract significant attention as major political parties intensify their final mobilisation efforts across the state.