NSCDC Rescues 106 Youths in Badagry Fake Varsity Sting

​Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badagry Area Command, have dismantled an illicit academic and recruitment syndicate operating from an ordinary three-bedroom apartment in the Ilado area of Olorunda Local Council Development Area. The covert operation led to the arrest of the alleged proprietor and the rescue of 106 young people trapped in a fraudulent foreign university scheme.

​The victims, predominantly aged between 19 and 24, were lured from various states across Nigeria—including Kogi and Oyo, alongside several northern regions—as well as neighboring West African countries like Niger, Cameroon, and Togo. Investigations revealed that the facility operated without a signboard, official name, or physical campus, falsely presenting itself online as a distance-learning center linked to an international university.

​According to the Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, the syndicate combined fraudulent admissions with a pyramid recruitment model. Unsuspecting applicants were made to pay processing and admission fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, or $400 to $500 US dollars. Victims were subsequently incentivized to recruit others through cash commissions, mirroring a classic Ponzi scheme, while some were co-opted into promoting unknown products online.

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​Authorities noted that many parents were entirely unaware of their children’s whereabouts, often believing they had traveled to learn a trade. The NSCDC has launched a profiling exercise to reunite the rescued youths with their families, while assuring that all suspects linked to the criminal network will face full prosecution.