The Council of Legal Education, CLE, has imposed a 10-year moratorium on the law programme of Atiba University in Oyo State over deficiencies in its facilities and alleged violations of regulations governing legal education in Nigeria.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by Aderonke Osho, CLE Secretary and Director of Administration, who said the sanction was one of the resolutions adopted at the council’s third-quarter hybrid meeting held on August 13 at the headquarters of the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja.
Osho said the council arrived at the decision after reviewing the university’s compliance with the requirements for establishing and operating a faculty of law.
According to her, the council found that the facilities available at Atiba University were “inappropriate and inadequate” for the establishment and operation of a faculty of law.
The council also found that the university had violated its admission policy by admitting and graduating students without obtaining the requisite approval from the appropriate regulatory authorities.
The CLE said such actions amounted to a breach of the regulatory framework guiding legal education and the operation of law programmes in Nigerian universities.
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“The council also approved a ten-year moratorium in respect of Atiba University, Oyo State, following its finding that the institution’s facilities were inappropriate and inadequate for the establishment and operation of a Faculty of Law,” the statement read.
The 10-year moratorium means the university’s law programme will remain under regulatory restriction for the specified period, subject to the requirements and standards set by the Council of Legal Education.
The council explained that the sanction was imposed as part of measures to ensure compliance with prescribed standards for legal education.
It said the decision was also aimed at reinforcing adherence to the regulatory framework and preventing institutions from operating law programmes without meeting the necessary requirements.
Osho stressed that maintaining appropriate standards was essential to protecting the quality and integrity of legal education in Nigeria.
She added that compliance with regulatory requirements was necessary to ensure that students enrolled in law programmes receive adequate academic and practical training.
The Council of Legal Education is responsible for regulating legal education and overseeing the Nigerian Law School, through which law graduates are trained for professional qualification as legal practitioners in Nigeria.
The action against Atiba University highlights the importance of regulatory approval, adequate facilities and compliance with established requirements before universities admit or graduate students under law programmes.
The council maintained that the measures were necessary to uphold the quality, integrity and standards of legal education in the country.
The Cable
