Nigerians have reacted to the disclosure by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that an official allegedly enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll, with some calling for the identities of those involved to be made public and for the investigation to go beyond individual offenders.

The reactions followed the disclosure by the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN), that the commission had uncovered about 900 suspected ghost workers and recovered more than N24 billion linked to ghost pension funds.

One of the commentators sarcastically suggested that the official should have included his grandparents, while another described the exposure of payroll fraud as commendable but argued that stronger preventive measures were needed to stop such abuses from occurring in the first place.

“Apprehending criminal offenders or those involved in criminal abuse of office and compromise of official procedures, documentation, records and transactions is good,” the commenter said.Another contributor questioned the effectiveness of verification exercises and audits routinely conducted across ministries, departments and government agencies.

“What are the reasons and effectiveness of verification exercises and audits in ministries and parastatals of government?” the person asked, urging anti-corruption agencies to expand their investigations.

The commenter also called for a comprehensive examination of the factors that enable payroll fraud, including the possible involvement of accomplices and collaborators.

According to the reaction, investigations should not stop with individuals found to have benefited from fraudulent payroll entries but should also identify officials or other persons who may have facilitated the alleged abuse.

Another Nigerian expressed concern that the case could eventually be forgotten, urging the government to make public the identities of those involved and ensure that appropriate sanctions are imposed.

ICPC uncovers alleged family payroll scheme.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Aliyu said ICPC investigations had exposed how some individuals manipulated government payroll systems by inserting fictitious names and collecting multiple salaries.

He said one official allegedly enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll, while another registered his wife, daughter, son and other relatives and collected 13 salaries.

“We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family,” Aliyu said.

The ICPC chairman said the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging those listed to establish that they were genuine government employees.

He explained that the commission subsequently spent about a year investigating the cases and tracing how fraudulent names were inserted into official payroll systems.

Ghost workers linked to salaries, pensions and benefits.

Aliyu said the financial consequences of ghost workers extended beyond the payment of monthly salaries.

According to him, fraudulent payroll entries could also lead to the payment of ghost pensions, housing benefits, mortgage funds, health insurance and other government entitlements.

He said the commission was focused on protecting public resources, reducing financial leakages and ensuring that government funds were deployed for their intended purposes.

ICPC recovers N24bn in ghost pension fundsThe ICPC chairman also disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion in ghost workers’ pension funds in 2024.

He said the agency was increasingly relying on preventive measures, data analysis and collaboration with other government institutions to detect corruption and recover public funds.

Aliyu stressed that preventing corruption was becoming a major priority for the commission, alongside prosecution and recovery efforts.

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

Nigerians seek stronger payroll monitoring.

The latest disclosure has renewed calls for stronger verification systems, regular audits and improved use of technology to prevent fraudulent entries into government payrolls.

The reactions also highlighted the need for anti-corruption agencies to investigate possible collaborators within government systems and strengthen controls that can detect irregularities before public funds are lost.

Aliyu similarly called for greater use of data and technology in the fight against corruption, stressing that reliable information and effective communication were essential to strengthening public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.

The ICPC chairman spoke at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited in Abuja.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotions Limited, Yusha’u Shuaib, said the event was organised to promote transparency, accountability, good governance and professionalism in public communication.