The National Service Authority (NSA) has uncovered what it describes as a massive payroll fraud scheme implicating more than 8,000 suspected irregular service personnel, with over 1,800 already suspended as investigations gather pace.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Authority’s headquarters in Accra, Director-General Ruth Dela Seddoh revealed that a sweeping internal probe exposed “shocking irregularities” in the system. A total of 8,105 individuals were flagged, of which 1,840 have been temporarily suspended pending further scrutiny by security agencies.
“It is a whole huge cartel,” Madam Seddoh declared. “Our very detailed, thorough and comprehensive investigation led to shocking discoveries that resulted in the flagging of 8,105 individuals in the system.”
She explained that the anomalies were traced to three tertiary institutions — the University of Development Studies (UDS), Ghana Communications Technology University (GCTU), and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED). The scheme, she noted, involved compromised data submissions that could have enabled unqualified persons to be enlisted as national service personnel.
As part of the ongoing probe, 10 staff members from the affected institutions have been arrested and are under investigation. Some NSA staff have also been picked up and are being interrogated by National Security.
Madam Seddoh cautioned that the financial and institutional consequences would have been grave had the irregularities gone unnoticed. She stressed that the state risked losing millions of cedis in allowances to unqualified individuals, while the credibility of the National Service Scheme itself would have been severely undermined.
To forestall future breaches, the Director-General announced reforms including automated cross-checks between tertiary institution databases and NSA records, routine audits of institutional submissions, and enhanced training for staff on data integrity and compliance.
She assured the public that the Authority remains resolute in protecting the integrity of the national service system and will continue to collaborate with investigative agencies to ensure accountability.
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