Achievers University tuition fraud has rocked the private institution in Owo, Ondo State, after an internal audit uncovered a N457.5 million school fees scam allegedly involving a former female employee, staff members and students.

According to Punch Newspapers, the university said 320 students paid their tuition fees into the personal bank account of the ex-worker, who allegedly manipulated the school’s payment portal to clear the students without the university receiving the funds.

The acting Vice-Chancellor of Achievers University, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, disclosed the findings in a statement issued after the completion of the institution’s Students’ Fees Payment Audit Exercise on Friday.

Aremu said the fraud spanned the 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.

According to the statement, the former bursary staff member, who studied Accounting at the university before her employment, resigned in April 2025. The university alleged that she masterminded the scheme by convincing students to pay fees into her personal account with promises of discounted fees and commissions.

The university said the affected students collectively paid N457,508,645 into the account, while their financial records were fraudulently cleared on the university portal.

The institution also indicted 11 staff members, 34 students and an external collaborator said to be working at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, for allegedly acting as agents who recruited students into the scheme.

Aremu stated that all implicated students would appear before the students’ disciplinary committee, while the staff members involved would face the senior staff disciplinary committee.

He added that the alleged mastermind is currently under police investigation and may face prosecution.

The university further announced that the audit exercise would continue to cover payments made by graduates from the last two academic sessions as part of efforts to ensure transparency and prevent misinformation.