The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of N941,994,079.86 recovered during the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)'s investigation into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) fraud, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria's ongoing crackdown on payroll corruption.

A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment exclusively obtained by PRNigeria shows that Justice Binta Fatima Nyako granted the final forfeiture order on Monday, July 13, 2026, permanently vesting the recovered funds in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The order followed an application filed by the ICPC in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/156/2026 after investigators traced suspicious payroll-related transactions to 909 bank accounts spread across major financial institutions in the country.

The court's order effectively transfers ownership of the recovered funds—previously domiciled in the ICPC Recovery Account pending judicial determination—to the Federal Government.

"That an Order is hereby made for the Final Forfeiture to the Federal Republic of Nigeria the Sum of N941,994,079.86 seized during investigation into IPPIS Payroll scam in the year 2024," Justice Nyako ruled.

The order was subsequently signed and issued under the seal of the court by the Registrar, Gideon Waya.

Court documents reviewed by PRNigeria reveal that the ICPC filed the Motion on Notice on March 26, 2026, through its counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bendi, supported by an affidavit deposed to by Idris Abubakar, an official of the Commission.

The application sought the permanent forfeiture of funds earlier frozen and recovered during investigations into alleged payroll fraud uncovered in 2024.

Following its review of the evidence presented, the court granted the Commission's request, bringing the recovery process to a legal conclusion.

One of the striking revelations contained in the court documents is the scale of the operation.

The forfeiture proceedings involved 909 respondents, whose accounts were spread across at least 17 financial institutions, among them Access Bank, Ecobank, First Bank, Jaiz Bank, Keystone Bank, NPF Microfinance Bank, Polaris Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Sterling Bank, Union Bank, Unity Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.

The first respondent listed in the court papers is Mr. Arilewola Olusanya Matthew, who maintained an account with Access Bank.

The documents further indicate that several individuals appeared under multiple account numbers across different banks, a pattern investigators commonly associate with the layering and movement of suspected illicit proceeds.

The respondents comprise individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, including persons bearing titles such as "Dr." and "Mrs.", while some of the accounts were maintained with NPF Microfinance Bank, suggesting that the investigation also extended to personnel connected with the security sector.

The IPPIS was introduced by the Federal Government to centralise salary payments, eliminate ghost workers and curb payroll fraud across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

However, documents obtained indicate that ICPC investigators uncovered an elaborate scheme in which public funds were allegedly diverted through hundreds of accounts maintained across multiple banks.

The recovered money, according to the court documents, was considered reasonably suspected proceeds of unlawful activities and was subsequently preserved in the ICPC Recovery Account pending judicial determination.

Justice Nyako's ruling now permanently transfers the recovered funds to the Federal Government.

The judgment contains two principal directives. First, the court ordered the final forfeiture of the entire N941.99 million recovered during the IPPIS payroll fraud investigation. Secondly, it affirmed that the money already held in the ICPC Recovery Account should remain permanently forfeited to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The ruling underscores the judiciary's continued support for asset recovery efforts where investigators establish that funds constitute proceeds reasonably suspected to have originated from unlawful activities.

The forfeiture represents one of the most significant recoveries recorded under the ICPC's ongoing investigations into payroll fraud linked to the IPPIS.

Since intensifying enforcement against payroll fraud, the anti-corruption agency has targeted individuals allegedly involved in manipulating payroll records, operating ghost worker schemes and receiving salaries without lawful entitlement.

The 2024 investigation, which culminated in the latest forfeiture order, marked one of the Commission's broadest operations, involving hundreds of accounts across Nigeria's banking sector.

Although the ICPC had not issued an official public statement on the judgment as of the time of filing this report, the court documents obtained by PRNigeria confirm that the forfeiture proceedings have now been concluded, with the recovered N941,994,079.86 formally vested in the Federal Government. (Adapted from a PRNigeria report)

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