Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, have uncovered a suspected fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.
The agency rescued 106 youths believed to have been drawn into the scheme. It also arrested the suspected owner, accused of luring young people from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.
The operation took place early on Monday after days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC officers.
The corps said the institution had no official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus. Despite that, it allegedly advertised itself online as a distance-learning centre linked to a foreign university.
Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the operation followed credible intelligence about activities at the apartment.
“We received reliable intelligence regarding the activities at the location. Our operatives kept the premises under surveillance for several days before carrying out the operation. The proprietor has been arrested and is assisting with our investigation, while the students have been placed under protective custody,” Ekunola said.
Initial findings showed the rescued youths, mostly between 19 and 24 years old, came from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states. Others reportedly arrived from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited through online platforms.
The NSCDC alleged that victims paid between N200,000 and N1.5 million as admission and processing fees, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign higher institution.
Investigators also found that participants were allegedly expected to recruit more students in return for financial commissions. The corps said the system resembled a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme, with higher earnings tied to the number of new recruits.
One rescued participant reportedly told investigators he paid $400 to enrol, convinced his brother in Kogi State to join and had already started receiving referral commissions.
The investigation also found that some participants allegedly promoted unidentified products online and earned commissions from product sales and recruiting new members.
“We have begun contacting their families. One parent told us her child had informed the family that he travelled to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university. That clearly shows many parents had no idea what was really going on,” he said.
Ekunola said all 106 rescued youths would be properly profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations. He added that anyone found responsible for operating the suspected illegal institution would face prosecution, while investigators are working to identify other collaborators and determine whether similar schemes exist in other parts of the country.
