NSCDC uncovers fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment, rescues 106 youths paying up to ₦1.5m for degrees [PHOTOS]

Gloria Adesanya 16:34 - 21 July 2026

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An NSCDC officer leading the arrested proprietor alongside some of the rescued students during the operation.

NSCDC uncovers a fake distance-learning university in Lagos, rescues 106 youths, and arrests the proprietor over a ₦1.5m admission scam targeting Nigerian and foreign students.

The NSCDC uncovered an illegal distance-learning university operating from a rented apartment in Badagry, Lagos, and rescued 106 youths aged 19 to 24.

Victims paid between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million, while foreign recruits from Niger, Cameroon, and Togo paid $400–$500 for fake admission and processing fees.

The scheme allegedly operated as a Ponzi-style recruitment network, and the proprietor is in custody as investigations continue into possible collaborators and cross-border trafficking links.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, has uncovered a fake distance-learning university operating from a rented apartment in Lagos and rescued 106 young students allegedly lured with promises of foreign admission.

The operation was carried out in the early hours of Monday, July 20, 2026, at Ilado in Olorunda Local Council Development Area, Badagry.

According to the NSCDC, the institution had no official name, registration, signboard, or physical campus. It allegedly presented itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with an undisclosed foreign university.

NSCDC Badagry Division officers addressing journalists during a press briefing on the illegal university raid and rescue operation.

The Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the raid followed several days of covert surveillance and intelligence gathering.

“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.

"The 106 rescued youths were mostly between the ages of 19 and 24." They were recruited from various states across Nigeria, including Kogi State and Oyo State, as well as neighbouring West African countries such as Niger, Cameroon, and Togo.

Rescued students assembled at the makeshift shelter of the illegal university uncovered by NSCDC operatives in Ilado, Badagry, Lagos State.

Investigators said local victims were charged between ₦200,000 and ₦1.5 million as admission and processing fees. Victims recruited from neighbouring countries reportedly paid between $400 and $500 under the same guise.

The Corps said the scheme also operated like a pyramid or Ponzi-style structure. Students were allegedly promised financial commissions for recruiting new members into the programme.

One victim reportedly paid $400 and later recruited his brother, receiving referral fees in return. Some of the youths were also recruited to promote unknown products online for sales commissions.

Because victims were recruited across international borders under false promises of education and allegedly drawn into promotional schemes, the investigation has raised concerns about possible cross-border human trafficking and network marketing fraud.

Such cases are often investigated alongside or handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) when elements of trafficking are established.

Chief Superintendent Ekunola noted that many parents were unaware of what their children were doing in Badagry.

“One of the parents we contacted said she believed her son had come to Badagry to learn a trade. She had no idea he was involved in this so-called university programme,” he said.

The alleged proprietor of the fake institution has been arrested and is currently in custody assisting with investigations.

The rescued youths being escorted to transport vehicles following the early-morning raid on the fake tertiary institution in Badagry.

The 106 rescued youths have been placed in protective custody for profiling, after which they will be reunited with their families.

The NSCDC added that investigations are being expanded to trace possible collaborators and identify similar illegal outfits operating elsewhere in the country.

In Nigeria, tertiary degree-awarding institutions must be licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The Commission has repeatedly warned the public against patronising unaccredited institutions, often referred to as degree mills, that operate from residential apartments or online platforms without official approval.