By Ghazali Ibrahim
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, Badagry, rescuing 106 young people and arresting the suspected proprietor.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday by the NSCDC Badagry Area Command, followed days of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
According to the NSCDC, the victims, mostly aged between 19 and 24, were allegedly lured with promises of admission into a foreign university through what investigators described as a fraudulent academic and recruitment scheme.
The youths were found inside the apartment when operatives stormed the premises.
Many reportedly came from different states across Nigeria, including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others travelled from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspected operators allegedly collected admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million from Nigerian victims, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500.
Investigators also alleged that participants were encouraged to recruit new students in exchange for commissions, in what authorities described as a Ponzi-like referral system.
Speaking on the operation, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the command acted on credible intelligence.
“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,” he said.
According to the NSCDC, the apartment had no official university name, signboard, registration or recognised campus, despite allegedly presenting itself online as a distance learning centre affiliated with a foreign institution.
The agency further alleged that some of the victims were involved in promoting unidentified products online while earning commissions from sales and recruitment.
Ekunola said the command had begun contacting the families of the rescued youths and would profile each victim before reuniting them with their relatives after investigations.
“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 anyone found culpable in operating the alleged illegal institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The NSCDC said investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the alleged network, identify possible collaborators and establish whether similar operations exist elsewhere in the country.
