A three-bedroom apartment in Badagry, Lagos State, has been uncovered as the alleged base of a fake distance-learning centre, with 106 young people rescued by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

The centre allegedly presented itself online as being affiliated with a foreign university and reportedly attracted Nigerians and nationals from neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission.

The NSCDC also arrested the alleged proprietor of the institution in connection with the suspected scheme.

The Corps said the centre was located in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, and operated from a three-bedroom apartment.

The operation was carried out in the early hours of Monday by operatives of the Badagry Area Command after days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance, Punch reported on Tuesday.

According to the NSCDC, the suspected institution operated without an official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, while promoting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

The Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the operation followed credible intelligence about activities taking place 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 said.

The rescued youths, mostly aged between 19 and 24, reportedly came from different parts of Nigeria, including Kogi and Oyo States, as well as some northern states.

The NSCDC said some of the youths also travelled from neighbouring countries, including Niger, Cameroon and Togo, after allegedly being recruited online.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the youths were allegedly persuaded to pay admission and processing fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million.

Some foreign nationals reportedly paid between $400 and $500 after allegedly being promised admission to a foreign tertiary institution.

The Corps further alleged that the admission arrangement included a recruitment condition requiring participants to bring in new students in exchange for commissions.

Investigators said 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 convinced his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had begun receiving referral commissions.

The NSCDC also said it discovered that some participants were promoting unidentified products online and earning percentages from product sales and recruitment.

NSCDC Contacts Families of Rescued Youths

Ekunola said the operation had raised concerns about how much 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 said 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 said investigations had been expanded to uncover the full network behind the alleged scheme, identify possible collaborators and determine whether similar operations were being run in other parts of the country.

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.