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 youths allegedly enrolled in the scheme.
The corps also arrested the alleged proprietor, who is accused of luring young people from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.
According to the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the operation followed days of intelligence gathering and surveillance. He said the suspected institution had no official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus but allegedly presented itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.
Investigations revealed that most of the rescued youths, aged between 19 and 24, came from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited online.
The victims allegedly paid admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.
