A cybercafé operator has allegedly defrauded a woman of ₦1.5 million on the pretext of securing her admission into the Lagos State College of Health Technology, prompting condemnation from the institution’s Provost, Prof. Raheem Akewushola.
The incident came to light after the complainant, whose identity was withheld, petitioned the college when the promised admission did not materialise.
According to a statement released on Sunday via the Lagos State Government’s official X handle, the victim initially paid ₦500,000 into the account of the suspect, identified as Mr. Arapatile, as part of the arrangement.
Further transactions were said to have followed, with additional payments bringing the total amount allegedly collected from the woman to about ₦1.5m.
Suspect’s confession and threats
When admission was not secured, the suspect allegedly assured the woman she could still attend classes and receive a certificate, but she demanded a refund. Instead, he reportedly threatened to silence her, prompting her to petition the school management.
The statement added that during interrogation, Arapatile admitted to the allegations but claimed the admission was not for LASCOHET, but for a professional body, CIMB, for which he claimed to be a liaison officer. He, however, failed to provide the full meaning of the acronym.
“Upon preliminary investigation, stamp pads of some institutions were also retrieved from his shop while further investigations are still ongoing,” the statement said.
Crackdown on admission racketeering
Prof. Akewushola cautioned members of the public against dealing with Arapatile, stressing that he is neither a staff member nor an authorised agent of the college.
“Our administration has zero tolerance for such acts,” he said, adding that the institution would explore all avenues to ensure the perpetrator faces the law.
In a related development, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umobi, disclosed that the university had begun a clampdown on admission racketeering within the institution.
She said the school had already sanctioned a staff member accused of collecting ₦400,000 from the mother of a prospective student with the promise of securing admission into the Faculty of Medicine.
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