By Akpos Oje
A Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced the proprietor and rector of the International College of Administration, Science and Technology, Auta Balefi, Mr. Olaniran Satiregun, to seven years in prison for operating unapproved academic programmes.
Satiregun was convicted on all three counts filed against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which accused him of obtaining money under false pretence in violation of Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
Prosecutor Adesina Raheem told the court that Satiregun misled prospective students into paying tuition and admission fees for programmes such as Nursing, Public Health, and Computer Science—none of which had the required accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Investigations revealed that the institution was only authorised to run four specific courses. Nonetheless, between 2019 and 2021, it admitted students into several unaccredited programmes, deceiving them with promises of recognized certificates and affiliations with professional bodies.
One of the charges detailed how Satiregun collected ₦110,000 from an applicant, Onmonya Daniel Ogah, under the guise of offering admission into a three-year Public Health/Nursing Science programme, claiming it included degree conversion options and access to bodies such as ICAN, NIM, and RSA.
In her ruling, Justice Anyalewa Onoja-Alapa sentenced Satiregun to seven years in prison without the option of a fine. She further ordered that all monies collected from victims be refunded.
The court also directed that the institution must henceforth restrict its operations strictly to the four courses duly approved by the relevant regulatory authorities.
The case marks a significant milestone in the ICPC’s ongoing clampdown on educational fraud and unregulated institutions.
