Admission Racketeering: CLE Stops Western Delta University, 8 Others From Admitting Law Students

The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has suspended the admission of students into the Faculties of Law at nine Nigerian universities.

The decision was made during the council’s second quarterly meeting of 2024, chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN.

The universities in question were found to have admitted and graduated law students without obtaining the necessary accreditation from the CLE.

The nine affected universities are:
1. Western Delta
University, Oghara,
Delta State
2. Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State
3. Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State
4. Taraba State University, Jalingo
5. Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State
6. Kwara State University, Malete
7. Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State
8. Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State
9. Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State

In addition to the suspension of admissions, Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State, has been placed under a five-year moratorium.

The CLE cited inadequate infrastructure and repeated violations of the university’s admission quota as the reasons for this decision. The council has pledged to accommodate the over 1,000 students unlawfully admitted by Lead City University within the available space.

The CLE also addressed a recent judgment against it regarding a property in Lagos that once housed the first Nigerian Law School students. An ad-hoc committee has been formed to ensure compliance with the judgment and explore options for securing the historic building.

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Furthermore, the council granted provisional accreditation status to two private universities: El-Amin University and Newgate University, both located in Minna, Niger State. These institutions have been given an admission quota of 50 students each.

The CLE will revisit the Faculty of Law at Veritas University in Abuja and Kola Daisi University in Ibadan at a later date to assess their compliance with the accreditation team’s findings. The University of Abuja, however, has had its admission quota increased from 100 to 160 students due to improvements in infrastructure and the recruitment of additional academic staff.

Lastly, the council approved the establishment of a legal unit within the office of the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School. This unit will monitor court cases involving the CLE and keep the council informed of any developments.