The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, has uncovered an alleged fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, rescuing 106 youths who were allegedly lured with promises of admission into a foreign university.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday, followed several days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC operatives. The command also arrested the proprietor of the institution, who is accused of running a fraudulent admission and referral scheme resembling a Ponzi network.
According to the NSCDC, what appeared to be an ordinary residential apartment had been transformed into the centre of an elaborate academic fraud operation targeting desperate young people seeking higher education opportunities abroad.
Supretendent confirmation
Confirming the development, the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the command acted on credible intelligence about suspicious activities at the location.
“We got reliable intelligence about the activities going on there. Our officers monitored the place for days before moving in. We have arrested the proprietor, who is assisting with our investigation, while the students have been taken into our protective custody,” Ekunola said.
The rescued youths, most of whom are between 19 and 24 years old, were found inside the apartment looking visibly confused and uncertain about their future following the raid.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had travelled from different parts of Nigeria, including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states. Others reportedly came from neighbouring countries such as Niger Republic, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited through online platforms.
Investigators said one of the most disturbing discoveries was that the so-called university had no official name, no registration with any regulatory authority, no signboard and no recognised campus. Instead, it operated entirely from the rented apartment while presenting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.
The victims reportedly paid between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million as admission and processing fees, while some foreign nationals disclosed that they paid between $400 and $500 to secure admission.
Revealed investigation
However, investigators said the admission offer was only one aspect of the alleged scheme. Students were allegedly encouraged to recruit other participants in return for commissions, creating a referral structure similar to a Ponzi scheme.
According to the NSCDC, participants earned increasing financial rewards based on the number of new students they introduced into the programme.
One of the rescued victims reportedly admitted to investigators that after paying $400, he convinced his own brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already begun earning commissions from successful referrals.
Investigators also uncovered that some of the students were involved in promoting unidentified products online while earning percentages from product sales and the recruitment of additional participants.
Ekunola expressed concern over the extent of the deception, revealing that many parents had no idea what their children were actually doing in Badagry.
“We have started contacting their families. One parent told us her child informed the family that he came to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university. That shows many of these parents were completely unaware,” he said.
The NSCDC Area Commander assured that every rescued victim would be properly profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations are concluded.
He also vowed that everyone found culpable in operating the alleged illegal institution would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The discovery has once again highlighted the growing threat of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting thousands of young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking educational opportunities abroad.
The NSCDC said investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the alleged network, identify other collaborators and establish whether similar operations are active in other parts of the country.
