Adebayo Adenrele
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, has uncovered a suspected fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, rescuing 106 youths allegedly lured into the scheme with promises of admission into a foreign university.
The command also arrested the proprietor of the institution, who is accused of recruiting young people from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries through a fraudulent admission and referral network akin to a Ponzi scheme.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday, followed several days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC operatives.
Confirming the development, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the command acted on credible intelligence regarding 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”.
According to the NSCDC, the apartment was filled with young men and women, most of them between the ages of 19 and 24, who appeared visibly confused and uncertain about their future following the raid.
Preliminary findings revealed that the victims had travelled to Badagry from different parts of Nigeria, including Kogi State, Oyo State and several northern states.
Others reportedly crossed into Nigeria 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 signboard, no registration with any regulatory authority and no recognised campus.
Instead, the institution operated entirely from the rented apartment while presenting itself online as a distance learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.
According to preliminary investigations, the operators convinced unsuspecting young people that they had secured admission into a foreign tertiary institution after paying various sums described as admission and processing fees.
Victims reportedly paid amounts ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals disclosed that they paid between $400 and $500 in admission-related charges.
