NSCDC Raids Fake Lagos University, Rescues 106 Youths

The raid followed several days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC operatives after receiving credible reports of suspicious activities at the property located in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a suspected fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Lagos State, rescuing 106 youths allegedly lured into an elaborate admission scam that investigators say functioned like a Ponzi scheme.

The operation, carried out by the Badagry Area Command in the early hours of Monday, also led to the arrest of the institution's proprietor, who is accused of recruiting young people from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with false promises of admission into a foreign university.

The raid followed several days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC operatives after receiving credible reports of suspicious activities at the property located in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

Confirming the operation, the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the suspect is assisting investigators while the rescued youths have been placed in protective custody.

"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," Ekunola said.

According to the NSCDC, the apartment housed more than 100 young men and women, most aged between 19 and 24, who appeared confused and uncertain about their circumstances after the raid.

Preliminary investigations showed that the victims were recruited from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others travelled from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo after responding to online advertisements.

Investigators said the purported university had no official name, signboard, regulatory approval or recognised campus. Instead, it allegedly operated entirely from the rented apartment while presenting itself online as a distance-learning institution affiliated with a foreign university.

Victims were reportedly persuaded to pay between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million as admission and processing fees, while some foreign nationals told investigators they paid between $400 and $500 to secure admission.

The NSCDC said the scheme extended beyond collecting admission fees. Participants were allegedly encouraged to recruit other prospective students in exchange for commissions, creating what investigators described as a referral network similar to a Ponzi or multi-level marketing operation.

One of the rescued victims reportedly admitted to investigators that after paying $400, he convinced his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already begun earning commissions from successful referrals.

Further investigations also revealed that some participants were allegedly involved in marketing unidentified products online, earning commissions from both product sales and the recruitment of additional participants.

Ekunola said the investigation exposed the extent to which many parents had been deceived about their children's activities.

"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 assured that all rescued victims would be profiled before being reunited with their families after investigations, while those found responsible for operating the alleged illegal institution would face prosecution.

The NSCDC said investigations are continuing to establish the full scope of the alleged network, identify other collaborators and determine whether similar operations are active in other parts of the country.