The Katsina State Government has dismissed 3,488 workers from 34 Local Government Councils (LGCs) and Local Education Authorities (LEAs) following a sweeping biometric screening that exposed widespread fraud in the system.

Governor Dikko Radda, who received the committee’s report on Wednesday at the State Executive Council meeting, said the exercise verified 46,380 out of 50,172 staff screened, while thousands were found with fake credentials, ghost postings, absentee records, or failed to show up.

The screening uncovered falsified birth certificates, underage employment, illegal promotions, and cases of staff subletting their positions. The committee also recovered ₦4.6 million from officers collecting double salaries or being paid while on leave of absence. In one case, the Education Secretary of Zango LEA was implicated in inserting 24 ghost workers, which the committee described as a “serious breach of trust.”

Governor Radda said the move, though politically risky, was necessary to “reform the system and do the right thing,” noting that the outcome has created the first-ever unified digital database of all LGC and LEA staff. The report projects a monthly savings of ₦453.3 million, with the potential to grow local government savings from about ₦500 million currently to ₦5.7 billion.

“Despite high revenue allocations, many councils still struggle to pay salaries because of non-genuine workers. By cutting this burden, we can free up more funds to support grassroots development,” Radda explained, directing that the findings be converted into a White Paper for full implementation.

The 10-member committee, comprising four retired Permanent Secretaries, six Directors, and 16 co-opted members with security support, was praised for carrying out what the governor described as a bold and historic reform.