A Federal High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced the Founder and Rector of the International College of Administration Science and Technology, Olaniran Satiregun, to seven years imprisonment for operating fake and unapproved degree courses.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) secured the conviction after filing a three-count charge against Satiregun and the institution in 2024. The charges bordered on obtaining by false pretence, in violation of Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
During the trial, ICPC’s prosecution team, led by Adesina Raheem, revealed that the college offered admissions into non-accredited programmes such as Nursing, Public Health, and Computer Science between 2019 and 2021, deceiving unsuspecting students and collecting fees under false pretences.
Investigations showed that the institution had only received approval from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to run four specific courses. Despite this, it advertised and ran several other unapproved programmes.
One of the charges read:
“That you, International Professional College of Administration Science and Technology Nigeria Ltd and Satiregun Olaniran (M), between 2019 and 2021 in Auta Balefi, Nasarawa State, did by false pretence obtain the sum of N110,000 from Onmonya Daniel Ogah as school fees and cost of an admission letter for a professional programme in Public Health/Nursing Science. The programme falsely claimed to lead to a BSc degree conversion and professional certification, despite lacking approval to run such programmes.”
Delivering judgment, Justice Anyalewa Onoja-Alapa found both defendants guilty on all counts. Satiregun was sentenced to seven years in prison without the option of a fine.
The court also ordered the college to refund all fees collected from students admitted into unapproved courses. Furthermore, the institution has been directed to restrict its academic offerings to only the four courses officially approved by the NBTE.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over the proliferation of unaccredited tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with regulatory agencies intensifying efforts to protect students from academic fraud.
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