NSCDC uncovers suspected fake university in Lagos, rescues 106 students

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, rescuing 106 youths allegedly recruited into the scheme.

The operatives also arrested the alleged proprietor of the institution, who is accused of luring young people from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.

The operation was carried out by the NSCDC in the early hours of Monday after days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance.

According to the NSCDC, the suspected institution operated without an official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus while allegedly presenting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

Speaking on Monday, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the raid followed credible intelligence.

He said: “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.”

Preliminary investigations showed that the rescued youths, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, were recruited from several Nigerian states, including Kogi, Oyo and some northern states, as well as neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo.

The command said victims allegedly paid between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million as admission and processing fees, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.

Investigators also alleged that participants were required to recruit more students in exchange for commissions, with the arrangement operating like a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme.

One of the victims reportedly told investigators that after paying $400, he persuaded his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already started receiving referral commissions.

The NSCDC further alleged that some participants were involved in promoting unidentified products online while earning commissions from product sales and recruitment.

Expressing concern over the development, Ekunola said many parents were unaware of their children’s activities.

He said: “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.”

According to the area commander, all the rescued youths will be profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations.

He added that anyone found culpable in operating the alleged fake institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The NSCDC said investigations had been expanded to identify other collaborators, uncover the full network behind the operation and determine whether similar schemes were operating in other parts of the country.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖