NSCDC UNCOVERS SUSPECTED FAKE UNIVERSITY IN LAGOS, RESCUES 106 STUDENTS

NSCDC UNCOVERS SUSPECTED FAKE UNIVERSITY IN LAGOS, RESCUES 106 STUDENTS

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 of Lagos State, rescuing 106 young people allegedly enrolled in the scheme.

The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday, followed several days of intelligence gathering and surveillance by NSCDC operatives.

According to the agency, the suspected institution was operating without an official name, registration, signboard, or recognised campus. It allegedly presented itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

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

Speaking on the operation, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the raid was based on credible intelligence.

"We received reliable intelligence about the activities at the location. Our officers monitored the premises for several days before carrying out the operation. The proprietor has been arrested and is assisting with ongoing investigations, while the students have been placed in protective custody," Ekunola said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the rescued individuals, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, came from states including Kogi, Oyo, and several northern states. Others reportedly travelled from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon, and Togo.

Investigators said the victims allegedly paid admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.

The NSCDC further alleged that participants were encouraged to recruit additional students in exchange for commissions, with investigators describing the arrangement as having characteristics similar to a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme.

According to investigators, one of the rescued individuals admitted paying $400 before persuading his brother in Kogi State to enrol, reportedly earning referral commissions in return.

The agency also alleged that some participants were involved in promoting unidentified products online while receiving commissions based on sales and recruitment.

Ekunola expressed concern that many parents were unaware of the true activities of their children in Badagry.

"We have begun contacting their families. One parent told us her child said he travelled to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university. This indicates that many parents had no knowledge of what was actually happening," he said.

He added that all rescued individuals would be profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations are concluded.

The NSCDC said anyone found culpable in operating the alleged fake institution would face prosecution in accordance with the law.

The agency also disclosed that investigations have been expanded to identify other collaborators, dismantle the network behind the operation, and determine whether similar schemes are operating elsewhere in Nigeria.

The discovery has renewed concerns over the increasing number of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking educational opportunities abroad.