106 young people who were allegedly lured into the scheme were saved after the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Badagry Area-Command, discovered a suspected bogus university operating out of a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area, Lagos State. The command also detained the institution's purported owner, who was charged with enticing young people from Nigeria and nearby West African nations with offers of admission to a foreign university.
After days of intelligence collection and secret observation by NSCDC agents, the operation was executed early on Monday morning.
The accused institution allegedly presented itself online as a distance-learning center connected to a foreign university despite operating without an official name, registration, signboard, or recognized campus, according to the corps.
Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the NSCDC's Badagry Area Commander, stated on Monday that the raid was prompted by reliable information regarding the apartment's activities.
"We received trustworthy information regarding what was happening there. Before moving in, our officers kept an eye on the area for many days. While the pupils have been placed in our protective care, we have arrested the owner, who is helping with our investigation," Ekunola stated.
According to investigations, the young people who were saved, primarily between the ages of 19 and 24, were from several Nigerian states, including Kogi, Oyo, and some northern states. After being recruited online, others reportedly traveled from nearby countries such as Niger, Cameroon, and Togo.
According to preliminary investigations, some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being offered admission into a foreign tertiary institution, while the victims were coerced into paying admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million.
The NSCDC also learned that there was purportedly a recruitment requirement attached to the admission offer, which required participants to bring in additional students in exchange for commissions.
The setup allegedly functioned like a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme, according to investigators, with participants being promised rising financial benefits based on the number of new recruits they brought into the program.
According to reports, one of the victims told detectives that he had already begun getting referral commissions after persuading his brother in Kogi State to enroll after paying $400.
The command also uncovered another dimension of the operation, alleging that some participants were involved in promoting unidentified products online while earning percentages from product sales and recruitment.
Expressing concern over the incident, Ekunola said many parents were unaware of what their children were actually doing in Badagry.
“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 said that all the rescued youths would be profiled before being reunited with their families, following investigations.
The NSCDC said investigations had been expanded to uncover the full network behind the operation, identify other collaborators and determine whether similar schemes are operating in other parts of the country. The discovery has renewed concerns over the growing number of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking opportunities to study abroad.