The Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET) has issued a warning to the public after a cyber café operator was accused of swindling an admission seeker of N500,000 under the guise of securing her admission into the institution.

In a petition submitted to the Provost, Prof. Raheem Akewushola, the victim alleged that the suspect initially demanded N1.5 million to process her admission into the Health Assistant programme. She reportedly paid N500,000 but was neither offered admission nor refunded.

When the admission failed to materialise, the suspect allegedly assured the victim she would still receive a certificate without attending classes. Suspicious of the arrangement, she requested a refund, but the operator allegedly responded with threats instead.

Prof. Akewushola, in a statement on Sunday, denounced the fraudulent act and disclosed that the suspect confessed to the allegations during questioning by the college management.

The suspect later tried to justify his actions by claiming that the money was meant for a professional body identified only as “CIMB,” for which he said he was a liaison officer. However, he failed to provide the full meaning of the acronym.

“Stamp pads from various institutions were also recovered from his shop, and further investigations are ongoing,” the Provost stated.

He emphasised that the suspect is neither a staff member nor a representative of LASCOHET and urged the public to avoid any dealings with him.

“Anyone who engages with him does so at their own risk,” Akewushola warned.