Kano Uncovers N27.8m Salary Fraud On LG Payroll

Kano State government has uncovered anomalies in the payroll system of local government councils, with hundreds of deceased and retirees still receiving monthly salaries to the tune of N27,824,395.40 for March alone.

According to a statement by the press secretary, office of the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Tanko, the revelation came  from the ongoing validation exercise aimed at sanitising the state’s payroll system.

Mr. Tanko said, “In a decisive move towards cleansing the state’s payroll, the Kano State government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Abba Yusuf, has recorded a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to reform the salary administration system within the State civil service.

“As part of the reform process, the state government’s pay parade committee has been established and will commence operations shortly.

“The committee printed the March 2025 payroll vouchers and requested all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and local government councils to study them and  make necessary observations as a prelude to a comprehensive pay parade scheduled to be flagged off on Monday, April 28.

“Arising from the validation exercise, a disturbing irregularity was uncovered within the payroll system of  local government councils. The findings revealed that 247 individuals had either retired from service or are dead yet, had been appearing on the payroll and their salaries running.”

He said in a prompt and effective response and while further due diligence was being conducted to determine the extent of this apparent fraud and the perpetrators, the  amount had been recovered and returned  to the local governments’ treasury. He added that the discovery underscored the administration’s unwavering dedication to entrench governance, transparency, and  responsible management of public resources.

“The government remains resolute in its commitment to purging the payroll system of irregularities. Individuals found to be involved in this fraudulent activity will be identified and held fully accountable in accordance with the law,” the statement noted.