NSCDC uncovers alleged fake University, rescues 106 youths in Badagry

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered an alleged fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in the Ilado area of Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Badagry, Lagos State, rescuing 106 youths and arresting the alleged proprietor of the illegal institution.

The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday following days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance, saw the rescued youths, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, taken into protective custody as investigations into the alleged fraudulent scheme continue.

The Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, disclosed the development in an interview with Badagry Today, saying the command acted on credible intelligence about suspicious 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.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Lagos State Command, Superintendent of Corps (SC) Oluwaseun Abolurin, confirmed the development to The Hope Newspaper on Tuesday, saying an official statement would be issued upon the conclusion of investigations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were allegedly lured from different parts of Nigeria, including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, as well as neighbouring West African countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo, with promises of admission into a foreign university.

Findings indicated that the institution had no official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus but allegedly operated from the rented apartment while presenting itself online as a distance learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

According to investigators, the victims paid admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between 400 and 500 United States dollars.

The investigation further revealed that participants were allegedly encouraged to recruit new students into the programme in return for commissions on every successful referral, a model security operatives believe resembles a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme.

One of the rescued victims reportedly admitted that after paying 400 dollars for admission, he persuaded his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already begun earning commissions through referrals.

The NSCDC also uncovered that some of the students were allegedly involved in promoting unidentified products online while receiving commissions based on product sales and recruitment.

Expressing concern over the development, Ekunola said many parents were unaware of the true purpose of their children’s stay 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 said the command would profile all the rescued youths and reunite them with their parents and guardians after investigations, adding that everyone found culpable in operating the alleged fake institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The discovery has heightened concerns over the activities of fraudulent online admission syndicates targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking educational opportunities abroad, as security agencies intensify efforts to identify other collaborators and determine whether similar operations exist in other parts of the country.