The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps uncovered a suspected fake university in Lagos State on Monday. Operatives rescued 106 youths lured into the scheme with false promises of foreign university admissions.
The Badagry Area Command of the NSCDC carried out the operation in the early hours. They targeted a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area. The command arrested the alleged proprietor during the raid.
Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, confirmed the details. He said officers received reliable intelligence and monitored the location for several days before they moved in.
“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,” Ekunola stated.
Investigators found that the rescued youths, mostly aged 19 to 24, came from states including Kogi, Oyo, and several northern parts of Nigeria. Some arrived from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon, and Togo after online recruitment.
The suspected institution operated without an official name, registration, signboard, or recognised campus. It presented itself online as a distance-learning centre linked to a foreign university.
Preliminary findings showed victims paid admission and processing fees between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million. Foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500. One victim told investigators that after he paid $400, he recruited his brother in Kogi State and received referral commissions.
The NSCDC discovered that the operation required participants to recruit more students for commissions. This structure resembled a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme. Additionally, some youths promoted unidentified products online and earned percentages from sales and recruitments.
Ekunola expressed concern about parental awareness. “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,” he added.
The agency profiled the rescued youths and planned to reunite them with their families after investigations. The NSCDC vowed to prosecute those found culpable and expand probes to uncover the full network and similar schemes elsewhere.
