Trouble as FG Discovers Over 75,000 Thost Police Officers Across Nigeria

The federal government has said that it has discovered 78,315 ghost officers in the Nigeria Police Force.

The Nigerian Tribune reports that the ministry of finance recently discovered that the payroll of the Nigeria police had been stuffed with over 70,000 fake personnel.

It was also gathered that the federal government has been able to save N68 billion on personnel cost in 2017.

Sources within the presidency said despite opposition from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) reports has shown that there were thousand s of ghost officers within the force.

One of the sources said that before the enrollment of the police force in the IPPIS, the federal government was paying salaries and emolument of 370,000 personnel.

He however said that only 291,685 names of police personnel appeared on the salary schedule for February.

He added that the president has also ordered the accountant general of the federation to ensure that all forces of the Nigerian military are enrolled into the IPPIS before the end of 2018.

The source said: “As at 20th March 2018, the number of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on IPPIS payroll is 511 with 316,158 staff count with a gross salary of N43,979,383,997.79 and 42 police commands and formations paid on IPPIS platform in February 2018 with a staff count of 291,685 and gross salary of N22,276,669,257.21.

“Staff of para-military agencies (Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Prison Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps) enrolled to date is 100,882 for which a trial payroll of N11,456,278,859.00 have been sent for review and update for April 2018 payroll,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, had informed the cabinet at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that savings made through IPPIS were achieved despite increased in police personnel.

She said the introduction of the IPPIS had resulted in the reduction of ghost workers’ syndrome as the system has become an assured source of internally generated revenue through payee to states and federal government.

She said: “There is need to kit IPPIS stakeholders to overcome challenges for effective and efficient service delivery at all times.”

The couple and seven others through a crafted ghost workers scheme submitted their account details to the civil servants who then added it to the government’s payroll.

Also joined in the matter were six civil servants identified as Osuntope Opeyemi, Aderibigbe Taiwo, Usman Dayo, Johnson Adedokun, Oyebade Ayodeji and Ojeifo Sylvanus
.