The former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Gifty Oware-Mensah on the run over the NSS ghost names scandal.
According to reports, Gifty Oware-Mensah has gone into hiding as the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) intensified its investigation.
There were earlier reports alleging that Gifty Oware-Mensah might be plotting an escape from Ghana to avoid accountability.
It was claimed that her office had been threatening media houses not to publish stories that would tarnish her image. One Journalist stated, “We’ve been warned not to run stories on this issue. It’s an attack on press freedom”.
According to reports Gifty Oware-Aboagye oversaw the payment of some allowances into the accounts of 81,885 ghost service personnel.
The National Intelligence Bureau has however picked up and detained the former National Service Authority (NSA) Kwaku Ohene Gyan over the NSS ghost names scandal.
Reports revealed Kwaku Ohene Gyan was detained after he was picked up on Saturday evening February 22, 2025.
Kwaku Ohene Gyan’s being detained and the search for Gifty Oware-Mensah comes following President John Dramani Mahama’s order to the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to investigate the NSS ‘ghost names scandal.
A statement from the presidency reads, “President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to conduct immediate investigations into the operations of the National Service Authority under the previous government following the discovery of up to 81,885 suspected ghost names on the payroll of the Authority.
The ghost names were detected following a head count of active National Service personnel at the behest of the Minister for Finance as a prerequisite for the clearance of allowance arrears dating back to August 2024”.
The information gathered reveals at least more individuals have been named as persons of interest in the NSS ghost name scandal.
Honourable Mustapha Ussif, Akufo-Addo’s first NSS CEO, Henry Nana Boakye a board member of the NSS, Gifty Oware, Kwaku Ohene Djan, Osei Assibey Antwi are among the 5 fingered in the NSS ghost scandal.
The public has placed more focus on the former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Gifty Oware-Mensah who according to reports oversaw the payment of some allowances into the accounts of 81,885 ghost service personnel.
According to reports about 17 persons could likely be invited for questioning as the NSS ghost name scandal started from 2017 to 2024 when they were exposed.
The John Mahama government has announced it has discovered 81,885 ghost names on the National Service payroll.
The ghost names were detected following a head count of active National Service personnel at the behest of the Minister for Finance.
The headcount of National Service personnel shows, that 98,145 actual National Service personnel were entitled to the allowances, significantly lower than the 180,030 names.
The revelation from the government follows an investigation by the Fourth Estate which alleged a scandal at the NSS last year.
Meanwhile, The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye who was a board member of the NSA has broken his silence on the Fourth Estate’s investigative report on the National Service Authority (NSA) scandal.
According to Henry Nana Boakye, the Fourth Estate did shoddy work and lazy journalism with their investigation into the NSS ghost name scandal.
Henry Nana Boakye asserted that the Fourth Estate compared the 85,000 figure for general postings to the total sum submitted to Parliament, leading to conclusions about “ghost names.”
