Woman Defrauded ₦1.5m in Alleged Admission Fraud

• A cybercafé operator, Mr. Arapatile, allegedly defrauded a woman of ₦1.5 million under the guise of securing her admission into the Lagos State College of Health Technology.

• According to the Lagos State Government, he admitted to the act but claimed it was for a professional body, CIMB, which he failed to explain.

• The victim petitioned the school after he threatened her when she demanded a refund.

A woman has reportedly been duped of ₦1.5 million by a cybercafé operator, Mr. Arapatile, who allegedly posed as someone capable of securing her admission into the Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET). The scheme was uncovered after she petitioned the institution when the promised admission never came through.

The Lagos State Government, in a statement on its official X handle, explained that the victim initially deposited ₦500,000 into Arapatile’s account, followed by additional payments that totaled about ₦1.5m. When nothing materialized, the suspect allegedly told her she could still attend classes and receive a certificate. However, when she asked for her money back, he reportedly threatened her.

During interrogation, Arapatile admitted to the claims but insisted the admission was not for LASCOHET, but for a professional body, CIMB, where he claimed to be a liaison officer. He could not, however, spell out the full meaning of the acronym. The statement noted: “Upon preliminary investigation, stamp pads of some institutions were also retrieved from his shop while further investigations are still ongoing.”

Prof. Raheem Akewushola, LASCOHET Provost, urged the public to steer clear of Arapatile, stressing: “Our administration has zero tolerance for such acts,” while vowing that the suspect would be made to face the law.

Similarly, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umobi, revealed that her institution had also begun cracking down on admission racketeering, adding that a staff member had already been sanctioned for allegedly collecting ₦400,000 from a parent in exchange for a supposed admission slot into the Faculty of Medicine.