NSCDC UNCOVERS CROSS-BORDER ADMISSION FRAUD, RESCUES 106 VICTIMS
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By: Tajudeen Aminat
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, within the Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, rescuing 106 youths allegedly enrolled in the scheme.
The operation also led to the arrest of the institution’s alleged proprietor, accused of deceiving young people from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.
The raid was conducted in the early hours of Monday after days of intelligence gathering and surveillance by NSCDC operatives.
According to the corps, the facility had no official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, yet allegedly operated online as a distance-learning centre linked to a foreign university.
Speaking on the operation, Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said officers acted on credible intelligence and monitored the location before carrying out the raid.
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Investigations revealed that the rescued youths, mostly aged between 19 and 24, came from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others reportedly travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited through online channels.
Preliminary findings showed that victims paid admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 in exchange for promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.
The NSCDC further discovered that participants were allegedly required to recruit additional students in return for commissions, with investigators describing the operation as having characteristics of a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme.
Authorities also uncovered allegations that some participants were involved in promoting unidentified products online and earning commissions from both product sales and recruitment activities.
Ekunola expressed concern that many parents were unaware of their children’s actual activities in Badagry, noting that some students had informed their families they were in the area to learn trades rather than attend a university.
The rescued youths are currently being profiled and will be reunited with their families after investigations are concluded. The NSCDC said anyone found culpable in operating the alleged institution would face prosecution.
The corps added that investigations have been widened to identify other collaborators, uncover the full extent of the network and determine whether similar schemes are operating elsewhere in the country.
The discovery has heightened concerns over the rise of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking educational opportunities abroad.
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