By Ologeh Joseph Chibu
In a significant decision, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) has suspended law student admissions at nine Nigerian universities for failing to secure proper accreditation. This announcement was made following the council’s second quarterly meeting of 2024, chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN.
The affected institutions were found to have admitted and graduated law students without the necessary CLE accreditation, violating the standards set by the council. The universities impacted by this decision include:
- Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State
- Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State
- Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State
- Taraba State University, Jalingo
- Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State
- Kwara State University, Malete
- Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State
- Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State
- Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State
Additionally, Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State, has been placed under a five-year moratorium due to inadequate infrastructure and repeated violations of its admission quota. The CLE has pledged to accommodate over 1,000 unlawfully admitted students from Lead City University within available space at other institutions.
The council also addressed a recent court ruling involving a historic property in Lagos that housed Nigeria’s first Law School students. An ad-hoc committee has been set up to ensure compliance with the judgment and explore options for preserving the historic building.
In positive developments, CLE granted provisional accreditation to two private institutions, El-Amin University and Newgate University, both in Minna, Niger State. Each has been allocated an admission quota of 50 law students.
Furthermore, the council will reassess the law faculties at Veritas University, Abuja, and Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, to verify compliance with CLE standards. Notably, the University of Abuja has seen its law student quota increase from 100 to 160 due to infrastructure upgrades and additional faculty recruitment.
Lastly, the CLE approved the creation of a legal unit within the office of the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School. This unit will oversee legal cases involving the council and ensure regular updates are provided.
Parents and prospective law students are advised to reconsider their options if they have applied to any of the suspended universities.