Fake University Uncovered in Lagos

Fake University Uncovered in Lagos
NSCDC Rescues 106 Youths
Arrests Proprietor

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 youths allegedly enrolled in the scheme.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the command also arrested the alleged proprietor, who is accused of luring young people from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.

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

Fake University Uncovered in Lagos — Some Students of the fake Lagos University during the raid by NSCDC…Photo Credit: NSCDC

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

Speaking on the operation, the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the raid followed credible intelligence about the activities 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 assisting with our investigation, while the students have been taken into our protective custody,” Ekunola said.

Investigations revealed that the rescued youths, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, came from several Nigerian states, including Kogi, Oyo and parts of northern Nigeria. Others reportedly travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited online.

Preliminary findings showed that 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.

The NSCDC said the admission offer allegedly required participants to recruit additional students in exchange for commissions.

Investigators also alleged that the operation functioned like a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme, with participants promised financial rewards based on the number of new recruits they attracted.

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

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

Expressing concern over the development, Ekunola said many parents were unaware of the true activities of their children in Badagry.

“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 said.

He added that the rescued youths would be profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations, while those found culpable would be prosecuted.

The NSCDC said investigations had been expanded to identify other collaborators and determine whether similar fraudulent schemes were operating in other parts of the country.