The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Badagry Area Command, has uncovered a suspected fake university operating from a three bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, with 106 youths allegedly recruited into the scheme.

The command arrested the proprietor of the institution, who was accused of luring young people from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign University. According to the Corps, the operation was carried out in the early hours of Monday following days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by its operatives.

Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, disclosed that the suspected institution was operating without an official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, while allegedly presenting itself online as a distance learning centre affiliated with a foreign university. He stated, "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."

Investigations revealed that the rescued youths, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, came from several Nigerian states including Kogi, Oyo and some northern states, while others reportedly travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited online. Preliminary findings indicated that victims were persuaded to pay admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500.

The NSCDC alleged that the admission offer came with a recruitment condition requiring participants to bring in more students in exchange for commissions, describing the arrangement as operating like a Ponzi or chain marketing scheme. One victim reportedly told investigators that after paying $400, he convinced his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already started receiving referral commissions.

Ekunola expressed concern that many parents were unaware of what their children were actually doing in Badagry, noting that the command had begun contacting affected families. He added that the rescued youths would be profiled before being reunited with their families, and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted according to the law, as investigations expand to uncover the full network behind the operation.