At least 58 illegal universities or satellite campuses operating in Nigeria have been identified and shut down by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The NUC also declared that certificates from these institutions would not be accepted for employment, further education, or the mandatory one-year national service.
Acting NUC Executive Secretary Chris Maiyaki told reporters in Abuja on Wednesday that the illegal institutions have been the subject of arrests.
Maiyaki revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) played a crucial role in dismantling illicit institutions and holding their orchestrators accountable.
This disclosure came in the wake of the suspension of degree certificates from two West African countries and others. An investigative journalist exposed the expedited process of obtaining a degree from a Benin Republic university, leading to the suspension of certificates and deployment for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The National Universities Commission (NUC) publicly announced the closure of these fraudulent institutions, with Maiyaki noting that nine other entities marked as “Degree Mills” were either under investigation or facing legal actions.
The focus of these efforts, Maiyaki stressed, was to prosecute owners and recover illicit fees charged to unsuspecting individuals.
“For the avoidance of doubt, anybody who patronises or obtains any certificate from any of these illegal institutions does so at his or her own risk.
“Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognized for NYSC, employment, and further studies,” Maiyaki warned.
