Tuition Scam: Ex-female staff, students defraud Ondo varsity of N457m

Achievers University in Owo, Ondo State, has uncovered a massive tuition fraud scheme totaling ₦457,508,645.00 involving a former female staff member, other employees, and students.

The institution made the disclosure in a bulletin issued by its Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oyesoji Aremu, on Monday.

It said the discovery followed a comprehensive audit of the university’s payment portal and students’ fee records.

According to the statement, the syndicate hacked into the university’s student payment portal and lured 320 students into paying their tuition fees directly into the personal bank account of a female worker.

Investigations revealed that a total of N457,508,645 was paid by the students into the former employee’s personal account across the 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.

The management alleged that the suspect fraudulently cleared the affected students on the institution’s portal despite the university not receiving the payments.

The accused cleared their bills on the university portal to enable the students to obtain their financial clearance.

The statement read in parts, “The exercise has revealed that the fraud was masterminded by a female worker, an alumnus of the Department of Accounting of our university, who was later employed to work at the university bursary.

“She resigned from the services of the university in April 2025.

“The fraudulent activities affected three academic sections: 2023/2024, 2024/2025, and 2025/2026 Academic Sessions and 320 students paid a total sum of N457,508,645:00 school fees into the personal account of the said lady, who in turn fraudulently cleared such students on the portal without the university receiving the money.

“Many of the students were lured to pay into her account by the offer of discounted fees/ commission.

“Eleven members of staff and 34 students were used as agents of the said female worker to ‘recruit’ students for the fraudulent activities.

“One external person working at Federal Medical Centre Owo was also indicted as having served as an agent of the fraudulent activities.”

The VC noted that all the 320 indicted students, and the six students who acted as agents, will be made to face the students’ disciplinary committee to further explain to the university authority what motivated them to disregard the well-laid-down fees payment procedures.

“The 11 members of staff who infamously acted as agents for the said mastermind will also face the senior staff disciplinary committee, while the said mastermind is under police investigation for subsequent prosecution.”

He added that the students’ fees payment audit would continue, as every payment made by students who graduated in the last two sessions will be carefully audited.

“We have the approval of the Council to exhibit absolute transparency in handling the investigation and dissemination of information to the university community, so as to eliminate rumor mongering and misinformation,” the statement concluded.