Two hundred and sixty-eight (268) ghost workers have been discovered by the staff verification committee set up by Acting Chief Judge of Kogi state to probe the nominal roll of Kogi State High Court.
The committee also uncovered 706 illegally recruited staff on the payroll of the state judiciary.
Chairman of the probe panel, Justice Mohammed Etsu Umar, disclosed this while presenting the report of the staff verification committee to the Acting Chief Judge (CJ) Justice Josiah Joe Majebi at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja.
The committee recommended the termination of all ‘illegal’ appointments into the services of Kogi state judiciary between January, 2021 and June, 2022.
According to Justice Umar, the recruitment malpractice has led to ‘astronomical’ increase in personnel emoluments, representing 40 per cent increase in personnel cost.
“After a careful check of the names of newly employed staff from January 2021 to June 2022, the staff disposition list and payroll, it was discovered that some of the names on the payroll could not be found on the staff disposition list of the courts and other departments.
“Therefore, it is an indication that though their names are on the pay roll but they do not have duty stations and do not work anywhere in the Inspectorate offices.
“It is our recommendation that it is an abnormality for a staff to be on pay roll without duty station. Such situation should be immediately corrected by termination of employment of such persons affected,” the committee stated.
