The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Badagry Area Command, has found a suspected fake university in a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. They rescued 106 young people who were allegedly recruited into the scheme.
They also arrested the person accused of running the fake school. This person is said to have lured young people from Nigeria and neighboring West African countries with false promises of admission into a foreign university.
The operation took place early on Monday. This followed days of gathering information and watching the place by NSCDC officers.
According to the corps, the suspected university had no official name, registration, signboard, or recognized campus. It was reportedly presenting itself online as a distance-learning center linked to a foreign university.
On Monday, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, said they acted on reliable intelligence about what was happening at the apartment.
"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 helping with our investigation, while the students have been taken into our protective custody," Ekunola said.
Investigations showed that the rescued youths were mostly between 19 and 24 years old. They came from several Nigerian states, including Kogi and Oyo, and some northern states. Others reportedly traveled from neighboring countries like Niger, Cameroon, and Togo after being recruited online.
Preliminary findings revealed that these young people were persuaded to pay admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million. Some foreign nationals were reported to have paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign school.
The NSCDC also found out that the admission offer had a condition. Participants were required to bring in more students to earn commissions.
Investigators said this setup worked like a Ponzi scheme or chain-marketing scheme. Participants were promised more money based on how many new recruits they brought in.
One victim told investigators that after paying $400, he convinced his brother in Kogi State to join and had already started receiving referral commissions.
The command also discovered another part of the operation. Some participants were involved in promoting unknown products online while earning money from product sales and recruitment.
Ekunola expressed worry about the situation. He said many parents did not know what their children were really doing in Badagry.
"We have started contacting their families. One parent told us her child said he came to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university. That shows many of these parents were completely unaware," he said.
He mentioned that all the rescued youths would be assessed before being sent back to their families after investigations.
The area commander added that anyone found guilty of running the fake institution would face prosecution.
The NSCDC stated that they have expanded their investigations. They want to uncover the full network behind this operation and find other people involved. They also want to see if similar schemes exist in other parts of the country.
This discovery has raised concerns about the increasing number of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals looking to study abroad.
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