Kano Cracks Down on Payroll Fraud: 240 Double Salary Cases, 217 Duplicate BVNs Exposed

By MOHAMMED DANBABA

The Kano State Government has launched a major crackdown on payroll fraud, uncovering widespread corruption involving double salary payments, duplicate Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), and hundreds of ghost workers siphoning public funds.

The sweeping audit, described as one of the most aggressive yet, aims to sanitize Kano’s civil service and restore accountability to the state’s financial system.

Kano Cracks Down on Payroll Fraud as Verification Exercise Unmasks Scandal

At a joint press conference in Kano, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Faruq Ibrahim, announced that 240 civil servants were illegally collecting double salaries, while another 217 were found to share the same BVNs—clear evidence of payroll manipulation.

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• https://www.thecheernews.com/kano-government-uncovers-payroll-fraud-involving-double-salaries-and-ghost-workers/

“Duplicate BVNs and multiple salary entries are clear breaches of financial integrity. Those involved will face full investigation,” Ibrahim warned.

He condemned the irregularities as “disturbing” and vowed that every individual implicated would be prosecuted in line with civil service rules.

The revelations came after months of painstaking verification led by the Standing Payroll Committee and Local Government Standing Committee.

Over 2,000 Workers Lose Salaries for Skipping Verification in Payroll Cleanup

The Kano cracks down on payroll fraud efforts intensified when over 2,000 civil servants who failed to attend a mandatory verification exercise had their salaries suspended indefinitely.

Auwal Sanda, Chairman of the Standing Payroll Committee, detailed the situation:

• 1,335 state workers ignored multiple calls for verification and have been without salaries since September 2024.
• 679 local government employees also failed to show up and were removed from the payroll since November 2024.

Sanda said those affected were flagged with a “Do Not Pay” mark on the payroll to ensure public funds were not wasted on ghost entries.

“Anyone who fails to validate their employment status has no business remaining on the payroll,” he added firmly.

247 Ghost Workers Wiped Out, ₦55 Million Monthly Savings Achieved

In a stunning discovery, the Local Government Standing Committee, led by Umaru Idi, uncovered 247 ghost workers through a cross-check of local government and education department payrolls.

According to Idi:

• Only eight workers turned up for screening and were cleared.
• 239 ghost workers were deleted from the system, saving the state ₦27.8 million per month.

Over two months, the clean-up exercise has saved ₦55 million from leaking into fraudulent accounts.

“This money has been returned to the joint account of the Kano State Government and local governments,” Idi confirmed.

The committee relied on a new strategy where payment vouchers were sent to individual councils for internal verification, making it easier to track and weed out ghost workers.

Kano Government Vows Tough Sanctions Against Payroll Fraudsters

With the scale of fraud exposed, the government has issued a stern warning to all civil servants: anyone caught manipulating the payroll system will be punished.

Umar Faruq Ibrahim, the SSG, said the era of unchecked payroll fraud is over.

“Public service is a trust. We will not spare anyone found guilty of betraying that trust. The law will take its full course,” Ibrahim stressed.

He explained that the verification exercise would now become a continuous process to prevent the re-emergence of fraudulent practices in the future.

The move aligns with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s broader agenda to reform public administration and ensure that public funds are directed toward development projects and citizen welfare, not stolen through bureaucratic loopholes.

Conclusion: Kano Cracks Down on Payroll Fraud to Protect Public Resources

The revelations prove that the Kano government’s crackdown on payroll fraud is already delivering tangible results—saving millions of naira, restoring public confidence, and signaling a new era of transparency.

Going forward, the government promises stricter monitoring systems, regular audits, and swift punitive actions to sustain the momentum.

With the recent actions, Kano State is setting a precedent for how Nigerian states can tackle corruption at the grassroots level, protect public resources, and rebuild trust between government institutions and the people.

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