NSCDC Busts Fake University With 106 Students In Three-Bedroom Apartment In Lagos

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says its operatives have uncovered a suspected fake university in Ilado, Olorunda LCDA of Lagos.

Speaking on Monday after the raid, Gbenga Ekunola, chief superintendent and area commander of the NSCDC in Badagry, said 106 youths were rescued from the three-bedroom apartment where the “fake university” operated.

Ekunola said operatives also arrested the alleged proprietor of the institution who reportedly lured young people from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.

According to him, the raid was carried out in the early hours of Monday following days of intelligence gathering and surveillance by operatives of the Badagry area command.

“We got reliable intelligence about the activities going on there. Our officers monitored the place for days before moving in,” he said.

“We have arrested the proprietor, who is assisting with our investigation, while the students have been taken into our protective custody.”

Ekunola noted that the institution operated without a registered name, signpost or recognised campus, while presenting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

He said preliminary investigations showed that the rescued youths, most of whom are between ages 19 and 24, were recruited from several states, including Kogi, Oyo and some northern states.

The NSCDC commander noted that some of the victims also came from neighbouring countries, including the Niger Republic, Cameroon and Togo, after allegedly being recruited online.

He said the victims were persuaded to pay admission and processing fees ranging from N200,000 to N1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.

Ekunola added that beneficiaries of the admission scheme were required to recruit other students in exchange for commissions.

He said the rescued youths would be profiled before being reunited with their families after the conclusion of investigations.

He added that anyone found culpable of operating the alleged fake institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The NSCDC commander said investigations have been expanded to identify other suspects linked to the operation and determine whether similar admission scams are operating in other parts of the country.

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