Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, have uncovered a suspected illegal university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, rescuing 106 young people allegedly enrolled in the scheme.
The operation, carried out by the NSCDC Badagry Area Command, also led to the arrest of the alleged proprietor, who is accused of luring prospective students with promises of admission into a foreign university.
The raid was conducted in the early hours of Monday following days of intelligence gathering and surveillance by security operatives.
According to the NSCDC, the institution operated without official registration, a recognized campus, a signboard or a registered name.
Despite this, it allegedly advertised itself online as a distance learning center affiliated with a foreign university.
Speaking on the operation, the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the action followed credible intelligence on suspicious activities at the location.
He said investigators had monitored the premises for several days before moving in, adding that the suspect was in custody and assisting with ongoing investigations, while the rescued youths had been placed under protective care.
Preliminary findings indicated that most of the rescued individuals, aged between 19 and 24 years, were recruited from states including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states. Others reportedly travelled from neighboring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo after responding to online recruitment campaigns.
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Investigators alleged that victims paid admission and processing fees ranging from N200,000 to N1.5 million.
Some foreign applicants were also said to have paid between 400 and 500 dollars after being promised admission into a foreign higher institution.
The NSCDC further alleged that participants were encouraged to recruit new members in exchange for financial rewards, describing the arrangement as similar to a Ponzi style or chain marketing scheme in which earnings depended largely on the number of recruits brought into the programme.
One of the rescued participants reportedly told investigators that after paying 400 dollars to join, he convinced his brother in Kogi State to enroll and had already started receiving referral commissions.
Investigations also revealed that some participants allegedly promoted unidentified products online, earning commissions from both product sales and the recruitment of additional members.
Ekunola expressed concern that many parents were unaware of their children’s actual activities in Badagry, noting that one parent disclosed that her child had informed the family he travelled to the area to acquire vocational skills rather than attend a university.
He said efforts were underway to contact the families of all those rescued, adding that the youths would be profiled before being reunited with their relatives after investigations.
The NSCDC commander said anyone found culpable in operating the suspected illegal institution would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
He added that the investigation had been expanded to identify other individuals connected with the operation and determine whether similar schemes were active in other parts of the country.
