Fake Lagos University Busted, 106 Students Rescued

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, has uncovered an illegal institution operating as a university from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, rescuing 106 young people believed to have been drawn into the operation through false admission offers.

During the operation, the command arrested the suspected operator of the institution, who is accused of deceiving youths from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of securing admission into a foreign university.

The raid took place in the early hours of Monday after NSCDC personnel carried out several days of intelligence gathering and discreet surveillance around the location.

Investigators found that the suspected institution had no official name, registration, recognised campus or signboard. Despite this, it allegedly promoted itself online as a distance-learning centre linked to a foreign university.

Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, disclosed that the operation followed credible intelligence received about suspicious activities at the apartment. He explained that officers monitored the premises for several days before carrying out the raid, leading to the arrest of the suspected proprietor, while the rescued students were taken into protective custody as investigations continue.

Findings showed that most of the rescued youths were between 19 and 24 years old. They reportedly travelled from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others came from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo after responding to online recruitment.

Investigators also discovered that the victims allegedly paid admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million. Some foreign applicants were also said to have paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into an overseas higher institution.

The investigation further revealed that participants were allegedly required to recruit additional students into the programme in return for financial rewards.

Officials believe the operation functioned in a manner similar to a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme, with participants earning commissions based on the number of new recruits they introduced.

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

The NSCDC also uncovered another aspect of the operation, alleging that some participants were engaged in promoting unidentified products online while earning percentages from product sales and recruitment activities.

Ekunola expressed concern that many parents were unaware of the actual activities of their children in Badagry. According to him, one parent disclosed that her child had informed the family that he travelled to Badagry to learn a vocational trade rather than attend a university, showing that many parents had been misled.

He said all the rescued youths would undergo proper profiling before they are reunited with their families after the investigation is concluded.

The area commander added that anyone found responsible for operating the illegal institution would face prosecution in line with the law.

The NSCDC also disclosed that the investigation has been expanded to identify other individuals connected to the operation, uncover the entire network behind the scheme and determine whether similar fraudulent institutions are operating elsewhere in the country.

The discovery has renewed concerns over the increasing number of online admission scams targeting Nigerian youths and foreign nationals searching for opportunities to study abroad.