The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a final forfeiture order for N941,994,079.86 allegedly linked to a massive ghost worker fraud uncovered during investigations into 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 ICPC on behalf of the Federal Government, seeking the forfeiture of the funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The ruling followed an extensive investigation into payroll fraud that allegedly involved hundreds of fictitious public servants across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

As part of the legal process, the ICPC said it published the names of 910 suspected beneficiaries of the alleged fraud in Daily Trust and The Punch newspapers on March 18, 2026, inviting anyone with legitimate claims to the funds to come forward.

According to the Commission, the investigation stemmed from a systems study conducted in 2023, which uncovered widespread irregularities in the IPPIS and revealed the presence of numerous ghost workers embedded in the payrolls of government institutions.

Following the findings, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a comprehensive audit of the payroll platform, leading to a joint investigation by the ICPC and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in April 2024.

The investigation reportedly uncovered 587 suspected ghost workers on the IPPIS platform.

The Commission said the probe revealed that fictitious IPPIS identities had been created for non-existent personnel across multiple MDAs, with salaries allegedly paid over several years into bank accounts belonging to individuals and companies. In several instances, account names did not correspond with those of the purported employees, while some accounts allegedly received multiple salary payments simultaneously.

To preserve the suspected proceeds of crime, the ICPC placed Post No Debit (PND) restrictions on the identified accounts between August and November 2024, freezing funds amounting to N941.9 million.

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 disclosed that a verification exercise conducted in 2025 cleared 120 civil servants after their identities and employment status were confirmed, leading to their reinstatement on the IPPIS platform.

However, it said investigations showed that 467 bank accounts remained linked to unverified individuals whose identities could not be established, with the frozen funds becoming the subject of the forfeiture proceedings.

ICPC prosecution counsel, Hamza Sani, told the court that detailed records of the affected accounts, including IPPIS numbers, names of the purported workers and beneficiaries’ banking details, were tendered in support of the application.

In her ruling, Justice Nyako ordered the final forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.

“That 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 held.

The ICPC said the judgment reinforces its commitment to combating corruption, safeguarding public funds and promoting transparency and accountability in public service.