Council of Legal Education Sanctions Nine Universities Over Admission Quota Violations
The Council of Legal Education (CLE) in Nigeria has sanctioned nine universities for unlawfully admitting and graduating students from their law faculties without proper accreditation. The affected institutions include the Nigerian Police Academy, Fountain University, Redeemers University, Taraba State University, Western Delta University, Kwara State University, and Bingham University, all of which have been suspended from accepting new law students.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has imposed significant sanctions on nine universities in Nigeria for unlawfully admitting and graduating students from their Faculties of Law without prior accreditation. The announcement was made by the Acting Secretary to the Council, Ms. A.O. Osho, following the council's second quarterly meeting of 2024, which was chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN.
The affected institutions include the Nigerian Police Academy in Wudil, Kano State, Fountain University in Osogbo, Osun State, Redeemers University in Ede, Osun State, Taraba State University in Jalingo, Western Delta University in Oghara, Delta State, Kwara State University in Malete, and Bingham University in Karu, Nasarawa State. Each university has been suspended from admitting new students into their law faculties.
In a notable case, Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State, has been hit with a five-year moratorium due to inadequate infrastructure in its Faculty of Law and its reckless admission practices that exceeded the approved quota of 50 students per academic session. The Council expressed its commitment to accommodate over 1,000 students unlawfully admitted by the university during this period.
The CLE highlighted that the approved admission quota for new faculties of law to the Nigerian Law School is 50 students per academic session. However, several universities have violated this policy, resulting in the graduation of students without proper accreditation.
Additionally, the Council has established an ad-hoc committee to address a recent judgment regarding a property at Igbosere Road, Lagos, which was the first building to house the pioneer students of the Nigerian Law School. This committee, headed by Mr. Kehinde K. Eleja, SAN, will explore compliance with the court’s ruling and work towards securing the council’s property acquired in 1962.
The CLE also announced the provisional accreditation of two private universities, El-Amin University and Newgate University, both in Minna, Niger State, allowing an admission quota of 50 students each. The Faculty of Law at Veritas University in Bwari, Abuja, and Kola Daisi University in Ibadan will undergo further assessment to ensure compliance with accreditation standards.
Moreover, the University of Abuja in Gwagwalada has received an increased admission quota from 100 to 160 students due to improvements in its law faculty's infrastructure and academic staffing.
This decisive action by the Council of Legal Education underscores the importance of maintaining educational standards within Nigeria's legal institutions and ensuring that all law graduates meet the necessary accreditation requirements.
