Tinubu Launches Forensic Probe into IPPIS, Federal Agencies Over Ghost Workers, Fake Entities

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of key Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), as well as federal agencies and their administrative and internal control structures.

The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to coordinate and oversee the exercise following a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026.

The decision followed findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning alleged fake government agencies, ghost workers and other weaknesses in public sector control systems.

In a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said the audit would determine the nature and scale of existing weaknesses and establish how they may have been exploited.

According to the statement, the exercise will be conducted in two major components.

The first will involve a detailed forensic examination of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management platforms.

The audit will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile discrepancies and figures earlier identified by the ICPC, and trace how fictitious or ineligible individuals may have been enrolled on government platforms.

It will also review existing controls relating to system access, identity verification, biometrics and bank accounts.

The exercise will further examine the connections between IPPIS and other key government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.

Onanuga said the review would establish whether the reported fraud arose from technological flaws, procedural lapses, weak segregation of responsibilities or deliberate efforts to bypass established safeguards.

The second phase of the audit will cover all Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other public institutions.

The exercise is expected to produce a definitive inventory of government entities and verify their legal status and basis for existence.

It will also examine how agencies and other government bodies obtain official recognition, secure budgetary allocations, access official correspondence, acquire office facilities and gain entry into government systems.

In addition, the audit will assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across the Federal Government with a view to identifying loopholes that could enable irregular entities or individuals to access public funds and other resources.

President Tinubu directed that the exercise be conducted with the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.

The audit team will be granted access to relevant government records and systems and will collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that its work supports ongoing investigations, prosecutions and efforts to recover public funds.

The President also instructed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to ensure strict compliance with the FEC resolution and proper documentation of the audit findings for necessary action by relevant government authorities.