The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has imposed a five-year moratorium on law admissions at Baze University in Abuja due to consistent violations of approved quotas.
Founded by Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, the university is facing repercussions for admitting over 750 law students since 2017, surpassing the allotted 50 students per session.
The CLE revealed that Baze University is carrying a backlog of 347 law graduates awaiting admission, a clear breach of the established admission quotas.
Additionally, the university has been running a three-year law degree for certain candidates, contrary to the accredited five-year national benchmark curriculum.
The council, during its quarterly meeting on November 23, 2023, chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, OFR, considered the report of an accreditation panel to the Faculty of Law at Baze University.
The panel, led by the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, found that the university consistently violated its admission quota, leading to the substantial backlog.
In response to these infractions, the CLE has imposed a moratorium on law admissions at Baze University, effective immediately and lasting for at least five years.
The moratorium may be renewed if satisfactory actions are not taken to rectify the situation. During this period, the council will work to address the backlog of law students admitted in excess of the quota.
Follow-up visits will be conducted to assess the measures taken by the university to remedy the observed anomalies.
The National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), parents, guardians, prospective applicants, and the public are all notified about the status of Baze University and its Faculty of Law.
Source: PUNCH