ICPC Uncovers Account Used in 6-Week Degree Scam

ICPC Uncovers Account Used in 6-Week Degree Scam

By Ricky Awodi
Parrot Newspaper Investigative Report | Abuja

In what appears to be a new front in Nigeria’s war against corruption and cross-border fraud, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has exposed a suspicious scheme involving a foreign national operating a Nigerian bank account used to siphon money from desperate Nigerians seeking quick-fix academic credentials.

ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, made the disclosure on Tuesday during a high-level stakeholder forum on asset tracing, recovery, and management in Abuja. The event, organized by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) and backed by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), gathered anti-graft experts, civil society actors, and global partners.

According to Aliyu, investigators discovered that a non-Nigerian individual had opened a domestic bank account through which payments were collected from Nigerians pursuing what was marketed as a six-week bachelor’s degree abroad—a timeframe that experts say is academically impossible.

“Within some weeks, we uncovered that a foreigner was operating an account here in Nigeria. Nigerian students were making payments into that account, believing they were enrolling in a legitimate overseas degree program,” Dr. Aliyu told participants. “We have since obtained a civil forfeiture order on the account, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend collaborators, especially those operating from outside Nigeria.”

The ICPC has not disclosed the name of the institution or the country allegedly offering the fraudulent degrees, fueling concerns about the depth of international education scams targeting young Nigerians. Analysts say such schemes prey on citizens’ frustration with Nigeria’s underfunded education system and high unemployment.

Wider Web of Corruption

In a parallel revelation at the same event, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr. Abdullahi Bello, warned of internal rot within the public service. A recent audit of over 10,000 asset declarations submitted by Nigerian civil servants showed that at least 20 percent were found to contain false information.

“This points to systemic deception by a significant number of public officers,” Dr. Bello noted. “False asset declarations are often used to conceal proceeds of corruption and illegal enrichment.”

The gathering also turned its attention to the wider implications of illicit financial flows bleeding the African continent. GIABA Director-General, Edwin Harris, sounded the alarm over the continent’s growing financial hemorrhage, citing data that illicit capital flight from Africa now ranges between $88 billion and $94 billion annually. This figure, Harris said, represents a dramatic increase from the $50 billion previously estimated by the Thabo Mbeki-led panel under the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Calls for Unified Action

CeFTPI Executive Director, Umar Yakubu, emphasized the need for greater collaboration across institutions and borders, especially in asset recovery and transparency initiatives. He noted that the Abuja forum was convened to develop actionable frameworks that link civil society, judiciary, and international actors in a shared anti-corruption agenda.

ICPC Uncovers Account Used in 6-Week Degree Scam

While the ICPC has secured a forfeiture order, observers question whether that alone will dismantle the criminal network behind the sham degree program or offer restitution to victims. What remains clear is that Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies are confronting increasingly complex, transnational schemes that demand deeper coordination, real-time intelligence sharing, and legislative teeth.

Parrot Newspaper will continue to follow the trail as authorities move to unmask the individuals and networks behind this scam targeting Nigerian youth and the integrity of global education systems.