The National Service Authority has uncovered major payroll anomalies, flagging 8,105 personnel across the national service system.
The discovery follows an internal review that exposed deep-rooted irregularities within enrolment records.
NSA Director-General Ruth Dela Seddoh announced the findings at a press briefing on December 15.
She described the outcome as disturbing and indicative of organised malpractice.
The Authority has temporarily suspended 1,840 affected personnel pending further investigations.
State security agencies have been tasked to probe the flagged names.
NSA traced the irregularities to discrepancies in graduate numbers submitted by some tertiary institutions.
Officials compared official graduation figures with national service enrolment lists.
The review revealed serious inconsistencies between the two sets of data.
Institutions cited include UDS, GCTU, and AAMUSTED.
Ms Seddoh said the findings point to a large cartel operating within the system.
Investigations have already led to the arrest of ten staff from the affected institutions.
The suspects are currently assisting security agencies with ongoing inquiries.
NSA also addressed public concerns over the closure of the service portal.
The Authority said the shutdown was deliberate and part of a structured validation process.
Officials explained it allowed reposting, verification, and physical confirmation of personnel.
The process also aimed to eliminate ghost names from the payroll.
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Ms Seddoh said enforcing the deadline was necessary to protect public funds.
She added that the measures are meant to restore confidence in the national service scheme.
Further actions are expected as investigations continue nationwide.