The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a final forfeiture order for N941,994,079.86 allegedly traced to proceeds of a ghost worker scheme uncovered on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the anti-graft agency on behalf of the Federal Government.
According to the ICPC, the forfeited funds were linked to an extensive payroll fraud involving fictitious employees across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Commission said the investigation stemmed from a systems review conducted in 2023, which revealed widespread irregularities on the IPPIS platform, including the existence of numerous ghost workers embedded in the federal payroll system.
It explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu subsequently approved a comprehensive audit of the platform, leading to a joint investigation by the ICPC and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in April 2024.
The probe allegedly uncovered 587 suspected ghost workers whose salaries had been paid into personal and corporate bank accounts over several years.
According to the anti-corruption agency, some of the affected accounts received multiple salary payments simultaneously, while in many cases, the names attached to the accounts did not correspond with those of the purported employees.
To prevent the dissipation of the suspected proceeds, the ICPC said it imposed Post No Debit restrictions on the affected accounts between August and November 2024, freezing a total of N941.9 million.
Institutions affected by the investigation include the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministries of Defence, Education, Agriculture and Rural Development, Works, Water Resources and Interior, as well as the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Others are 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 it published the names of 910 suspected beneficiaries in two national newspapers on March 18, 2026, inviting anyone with legitimate claims to the funds to come forward.
It added that a verification exercise carried out in 2025 cleared 120 civil servants after confirming their identities and employment status, resulting in their reinstatement on the IPPIS platform.
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However, investigations allegedly established that 467 bank accounts remained linked to individuals whose identities could not be verified, prompting the forfeiture proceedings.
ICPC counsel, Hamza Sani, told the court that detailed records of the affected accounts, including IPPIS numbers, names of the purported workers and banking information, were tendered as evidence.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Nyako ordered that the funds be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
“An order is hereby made for the final forfeiture to the Federal Republic of Nigeria of the sum of N941,994,079.86 seized during investigation into the IPPIS payroll scam in the year 2024,” the judge ruled.
Reacting to the judgment, the ICPC said the decision underscores its commitment to combating corruption, safeguarding public funds and promoting transparency and accountability in the public service.
