A large-scale payroll fraud has been uncovered in Katsina State, where 3,488 ghost workers were discovered across local government councils and local education authorities (LEAs).
The biometric screening exercise revealed widespread manipulation of the state’s wage bill, including falsified documents, double salaries, and underage employment.
Receiving the report from the verification committee, headed by Abdullahi Gagare, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, said the exercise had already saved the local governments more than N500 million.
He vowed to implement the recommendations of the committee in full, insisting that the reforms were necessary despite political pushback.
“This is about freeing our state from the grip of a few individuals. The money saved will be used for real development at the grassroots,” he said.
Speaking, Chairman, Verification Committee, Abdullahi Gagare , revealed that 50,172 workers were screened. While 46,380 were cleared, 3,488 were found to have secured their positions through fake credentials, fraud, or outright absence from work.
He noted that the state could save about N453.3 million monthly if the recommendations are fully implemented. The committee also recovered N4.6 million from officers illegally drawing salaries from both state and federal agencies.
Among those indicted was an education secretary accused of creating 24 ghost workers in collusion with others — a move the committee described as a “grave breach of trust.”
