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, also led to the arrest of the suspected proprietor, who is accused of attracting prospective students from Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.
According to the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the raid followed days of intelligence gathering and surveillance after the command received credible information about the activities at the location.
Investigators said the facility had no official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, but allegedly operated online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.
The rescued students, mostly aged 19 to 24, reportedly came from several Nigerian states, including Kogi, Oyo and parts of northern Nigeria. Others were said to have travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited through online platforms.
Preliminary investigations indicate that victims paid between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million as admission and processing fees, while some foreign applicants allegedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into an overseas institution.
The NSCDC also alleged that participants were encouraged to recruit additional students in exchange for commissions, describing the arrangement as operating like a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme with financial rewards tied to the number of new recruits.
Investigators further discovered that some participants were allegedly involved in promoting unidentified products online while earning commissions from both product sales and recruitment activities.
Ekunola said many parents were unaware of their children’s actual activities in Badagry, noting that one parent said her child had informed the family that he was in the area to learn a trade rather than attend a university.
He added that all 106 rescued youths will be profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations are concluded.
The NSCDC said anyone found responsible for operating the alleged fake institution will face prosecution, adding that investigations have been expanded to identify other members of the network and determine whether similar schemes are operating elsewhere in the country.
The discovery has renewed concerns over the rise in fraudulent online admission schemes targeting Nigerians and other West Africans seeking opportunities to study abroad.
