The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced the discovery of widespread payroll irregularities following an internal review, leading to the flagging of 8,105 names on the national service system.

The Authority says the findings point to deep-rooted issues that require immediate corrective action.

At a press briefing on Monday, December 15, the Director-General of the NSA, Ruth Dela Seddoh, disclosed that 1,840 of the affected individuals have been temporarily suspended while further investigations are conducted by state security agencies.

She described the outcome of the review as disturbing and indicative of organised malpractice within the system.

Ms Seddoh explained that the irregularities were traced to discrepancies between the number of graduates officially produced by certain tertiary institutions and the figures submitted to the Authority for national service enrolment.

The institutions cited in the investigation include the University of Development Studies (UDS), Ghana Communication Technology University, and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.

“We compared the number of students who officially graduated from these schools with the lists submitted to us and discovered serious inconsistencies. What we uncovered points to a large cartel operating within the system,” she said.

She added that the investigations had so far led to the arrest of 10 staff members from the affected institutions, who are currently assisting security agencies with further inquiries.

Addressing public concerns over the closure of the service portal after two extensions, Ms Seddoh clarified that the decision was deliberate and formed part of a structured validation process.

According to her, the shutdown was necessary to allow for reposting, verification of deployment records, confirmation of the physical presence of service personnel at their stations, and the elimination of ghost names.

She stressed that enforcing the deadline was critical to safeguarding the integrity of the national service scheme and ensuring that only duly verified personnel receive their allowances.

“This was not an arbitrary decision. It was essential to protect public funds and restore confidence in the national service system,” the Director-General stated.