The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a suspected fake diactance-learning centre claiming affiliation to a foreign university in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, and rescued 106 students allegedly lured into the scheme.
The NSCDC also arrested the alleged proprietor of the institution, who reportedly lured young Nigerians and nationals from neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission to a foreign university.
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The NSCDC said the centre operated from a three-bedroom apartment.
It said its operation exposing the alleged scheme was carried out in the early hours of Monday by operatives of the Badagry Area Command following days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance, Punch newspaper reported on Tuesday.
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The suspected institution was allegedly operating without an official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, while presenting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.
The Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, stated that the operation followed credible intelligence on activities at the apartment.
“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,” he noted.
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The rescued youths, mostly aged between 19 and 24, reportedly came from several parts of Nigeria, including Kogi and Oyo states, as well as some northern states.
The NSCDC explained that some of the youths also travelled from neighbouring countries, including Niger, Cameroon and Togo, after allegedly being recruited online.
Preliminary investigations showed that the victims were allegedly persuaded to pay admission and processing fees ranging from N200,000 to N1.5 million.
Some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after being promised admission to a foreign tertiary institution.
The corps also alleged that the admission arrangement came with a recruitment condition under which participants were required to bring in new students in exchange for commissions.
According to investigators, the arrangement appeared to operate like a Ponzi or chain-marketing scheme, with participants allegedly promised increasing financial rewards based on the number of people they recruited.
One of the victims reportedly told investigators that, after paying $400, he persuaded his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had begun receiving referral commissions.
The NSCDC said it also discovered that some participants were involved in promoting unidentified products online and earning percentages from product sales and recruitment.
NSCDC contacts families of victims
Mr Ekunola noted that the operation had raised concerns about the extent to which the parents of the youths knew about their activities 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 stated that the rescued youths would be profiled before being reunited with their families.
The area commander added that anyone found culpable in the operation of the alleged fake institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The NSCDC explained that investigations had been expanded to uncover the full network behind the scheme, identify possible collaborators and determine whether similar operations were being run in other parts of the country.
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The latest discovery comes amid continuing concerns over the proliferation of illegal degree-awarding institutions in Nigeria.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) had previously published a list of 58 illegal universities operating across the country and warned parents and prospective students against patronising them.
The commission described the institutions as “degree mills” operating without legal approval to run academic programmes or award degrees in Nigeria. It also said security and law enforcement agencies had been alerted to take action against operators of the unapproved institutions, while eight other universities were being investigated over alleged unauthorised programmes.
The NUC has repeatedly advised prospective students to verify the accreditation status of institutions before seeking admission, warning that certificates obtained from unapproved institutions may not be recognised.
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