4 National Service staff interdicted over payroll fraud as NIB probe uncovers alleged fraud — NSS Boss
At least four staff of the National Service Scheme (NSS) have been interdicted following investigations by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) into a widening payroll fraud scandal at the state-run agency.
The acting Director General of the NSS, Felix Gyamfi, confirmed the interdictions during an interview on TV3’s Ghana Tonight programme on Thursday, June 13.
He explained that the disciplinary actions were based on intelligence received from the NIB, which uncovered irregularities involving personnel within the scheme.
“As the NIB brought names, I acted on them. We’ve interdicted about four people,” Mr Gyamfi disclosed. “Further names were brought yesterday and I have taken action on them as well.”
He noted that investigations are ongoing, with more revelations expected as the Scheme continues its efforts to purge payroll fraud and rebuild public trust.
Mr Gyamfi’s comments came hours after Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, described the NSS payroll scandal as part of a broader “criminal enterprise” that has cost Ghana more than GH¢548 million in recent years.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Friday, June 13, Dr Ayine said the financial loss was uncovered under the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative. He alleged that the scheme was orchestrated by a network of senior NSS officials—including district directors, payroll officers, and top executives.
“In the 2022/2023 service year, GH¢350,926,977.12 was lost to the state. For the 2023/2024 service year, GH¢32,881,157.07 was lost. In total, the state lost about GH¢548,333,542.65 to this criminal enterprise,” Dr Ayine revealed.
Over GH¢550,000 recovered
As part of the scheme’s internal recovery efforts, Mr Gyamfi disclosed that over GH¢550,000 has already been retrieved from individuals who fraudulently received national service allowances while holding full-time jobs elsewhere.
“These were people already on the payroll of other organisations but still drawing national service allowances. That has stopped,” he stated. “Some have voluntarily started paying back the money, and so far, we’ve recovered over GH¢550,000.”
He emphasised that the recovery process remains ongoing, and more culprits are expected to refund the illicit funds.
Ghost names and structural reforms
To prevent further abuse, the NSS has embarked on a major cleanup of its payroll. According to Mr Gyamfi, more than 2,000 ghost names were removed last month alone as part of efforts to enhance accountability.
He explained that while the NSS app has often been blamed for payroll irregularities, the real issue lies in its deliberate abuse by individuals.
“It’s not about the system or the app—it’s the people abusing it. If a system requires you to delete names without Ghana Card and you fail to act, then the problem isn’t the system,” he said.
He added that over 5,000 individuals without Ghana Card credentials have been removed from the NSS database—none of whom have officially lodged complaints—highlighting improved enforcement of identity verification.
Staff audit and vigilance measures
Mr Gyamfi also revealed that a recent internal audit uncovered additional cases of staff misconduct, prompting redeployments and closer scrutiny.
“We’ve moved people around after our investigations. Where we’ve found red flags, we’ve acted swiftly,” he said. “Our system is now highly sensitive to any potential compromise.”
He noted that the NSS now operates under a detailed, step-by-step reform strategy across all 270 district offices, aimed at strengthening internal controls and ensuring long-term compliance.
Addressing the GH¢30 million loan scandal involving former NSS Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah, Mr Gyamfi said the NSS is awaiting a formal audit by the Ghana Audit Service before making any definitive comments on the scheme’s financial liabilities.
“We’ve requested an audit of our books covering several years. That process was delayed, but we are engaging the Audit Service to resume. The findings will be made public,” he assured.
Earlier, the Attorney-General named Mrs Oware-Mensah as the mastermind behind an alleged fraudulent scheme in which national service allowances were collateralised to secure a loan facility from a financial institution.
Rebuilding trust
Mr Gyamfi reaffirmed the NSS leadership’s commitment to restoring transparency and credibility to the scheme.
“We’re being very intentional about this. If you don’t possess a Ghana Card, you can’t do national service. These new controls are here to stay,” he said.
The NSS scandal has sparked widespread calls for deeper reforms within Ghana’s public institutions, with stakeholders urging firm sanctions and systemic change.
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