The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Lagos State, and rescued 106 young people who had been recruited into the scheme.

The operation took place in the early hours of Monday, following days of intelligence gathering and surveillance by NSCDC operatives. The alleged proprietor of the institution was arrested.

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

The rescued students, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, came from several Nigerian states including Kogi and Oyo, as well as neighbouring countries like Niger, Cameroon, and Togo. They were lured with promises of admission into a foreign university.

Victims paid admission fees ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦1.5 million, while some foreign nationals paid between $400 and $500.

The scheme operated like a Ponzi model. Students were required to recruit more people to earn commissions. One victim reportedly told investigators that after paying $400, he convinced his brother to enrol and had already started receiving referral payments.

Badagry Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said many parents had no idea what their children were involved in. One parent thought her child was in Badagry to learn a trade, not attend a university.

The NSCDC said all rescued students will be profiled and reunited with their families. Anyone found culpable will be prosecuted. Investigations have been expanded to uncover the full network behind the operation and determine if similar schemes exist elsewhere in the country.

The case has raised fresh concerns about the growing number of fraudulent online admission schemes targeting young Nigerians and foreign nationals seeking study opportunities abroad