On Monday, May 19, 2025, the House of Representatives directed that investigative journalist Umar Audu be placed under 10-year security protection following his exposé on the sale of fake degrees from universities in the Benin Republic to Nigerians.
The House Joint Committees on University, Polytechnic, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Youth Development, currently investigating the scandal, issued the directive. They also called on the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to ensure Audu’s safety.
Audu, a reporter with the Daily Nigerian, had gone undercover to expose a network of institutions in the Benin Republic offering fraudulent academic certificates to Nigerians. He obtained a degree and transcript from École Supérieure de Gestion et de Technologies (ESGT), Cotonou, within six weeks without attending classes. He later had the certificate officially cleared by the Ministry of Education after paying a ₦40,000 fee.
In response to the investigation, the Federal Government shut down 18 foreign universities operating in Nigeria, labelling them as “degree mills.”
The affected institutions, which include universities from the United States, the United Kingdom, Ghana, and the Benin Republic, were found to be issuing unaccredited degrees and operating without proper licenses.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, proposed the creation of a centralised automated verification system to prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.
Representing the Minister of Education, Mr Olatunji Alausa, a director in the ministry, Larai Ahmed, stated that the department responsible for certificate clearance had been overhauled, with more stringent measures now in place.
Audu’s investigation has prompted the Federal Government to suspend the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo, pending further investigations into the activities of these institutions.
