Admission Racketeering: Cybercafé Operator Cheats Woman of ₦1.5 Million at LASCOHET

The Provost of Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET), Professor Raheem Akewushola, has strongly condemned a fraudulent admission scam involving a cybercafé operator who allegedly defrauded a woman of ₦1,500,000 after promising her admission into LASCOHET. The victim initially paid ₦500,000 as part of the arrangement, but the promised admission never materialized. When confronted, the suspect, identified as Arapatile, claimed the admission was for a professional body called CIMB, not LASCOHET, but he failed to provide full details of the association. Investigation uncovered stamp pads of various institutions at his shop, suggesting broader forgery activities.

Professor Akewushola warned the public against engaging with the operator, emphasizing that he is neither a staff member nor an authorized agent of LASCOHET, and reiterated the institution’s zero tolerance policy on such fraudulent acts. The college committed to pursue all legal avenues to bring perpetrators to justice.

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In a related crackdown on admission racketeering, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Professor Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umobi, disclosed that disciplinary action has been taken against a staff member who allegedly collected ₦400,000 from a prospective student’s mother with false promises of admission into the university’s Faculty of Medicine. After the deal shifted to Nursing Science, the complainant reported the staff member, who later admitted to the fraud. The university has reinforced that admission is free and warned that the matter is now with the disciplinary committee.

These incidents highlight the ongoing menace of admission racketeering in Nigerian tertiary institutions, with authorities intensifying efforts to clamp down on fraudulent practices and protect applicants from exploitation. Both LASCOHET and UNIZIK have urged the public to adhere strictly to official admission processes and avoid unauthorized intermediaries to prevent victimization .