The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has busted what it suspects is a fraudulent university operating from a three-bedroom flat in Ilado, Lagos State. Operatives from the NSCDC's Badagry Area Command rescued 106 youths who'd been lured into the scheme.
The raid happened in the early hours of Monday following weeks of surveillance and intelligence work. The alleged proprietor, who remains in custody, stands accused of recruiting students from across Nigeria and West African nations with false promises of foreign university admission.
The operation uncovered a scheme with no official name, no registration, and no proper campus, yet it marketed itself online as a distance-learning centre linked to a foreign university. Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the Badagry Area Commander, explained that intelligence had pointed them to the location.
"We received reliable intelligence regarding the activities at the location," he told reporters. "Our operatives kept the premises under surveillance for several days before carrying out the operation."
Most of the rescued youths ranged from 19 to 24 years old and came from across Nigeria—Kogi, Oyo and northern states featured prominently. Some had travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited through online platforms.
Victims paid admission and processing fees between N200,000 and N1.5 million locally. Foreign nationals handed over between $400 and $500 after being promised entry into a foreign institution.
Investigators discovered a troubling pattern: participants were apparently required to recruit more students in return for financial commissions. This model mirrored Ponzi or chain-marketing schemes, with earnings supposedly increasing based on the number of recruits brought in.
One rescued person told investigators that after paying $400, he'd persuaded his brother in Kogi State to join and had already begun receiving referral commissions. Others were engaged in promoting unnamed products online, earning money from both sales and recruiting new members.
Ekunola expressed concern that many parents seemed oblivious to what their children were actually doing in Badagry. "One parent told us her child had informed the family that he travelled to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university," he noted.
"That clearly shows many parents had no idea what was really going on," he added. The area commander said all 106 rescued youths would undergo proper profiling before being reunited with their families after investigations conclude.
Anyone found responsible for operating the suspected illegal institution will face prosecution, Ekunola stated. Authorities have begun contacting the families of the rescued individuals.
