ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Council of Legal Education has imposed a 10-year moratorium on Atiba University, Oyo State, prohibiting the institution from offering law programmes following the discovery of severe deficiencies in its facilities and violations of regulations governing legal education in Nigeria .
The decision was contained in resolutions adopted at the Council’s Third Quarter Hybrid Meeting held on August 13, 2026, at the headquarters of the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja . According to a statement signed by Aderonke O. Osho, Secretary to the Council and Director of Administration, and posted on the Council’s official page on Monday, the moratorium followed its finding that Atiba University’s facilities were “inappropriate and inadequate” for the establishment and operation of a Faculty of Law .
The Council further found that the institution had violated its admission policy by admitting and graduating students without obtaining the requisite approval from the regulatory body . “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 Council said in its statement .
According to the Council, the 10-year moratorium was imposed as a regulatory measure to ensure compliance with prescribed standards for legal education, reinforce adherence to the regulatory framework, and protect the quality, integrity, and standards of legal education in Nigeria . The decision comes against the backdrop of the Council’s broader efforts to enforce accreditation requirements for Law programmes nationwide .
The development has thrown affected students and graduates into uncertainty, as those who have completed their academic requirements are now unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School . The situation has sparked protests on campus, with students demanding clarification and action from the university management over the implications of the decision on their education and professional aspirations .
During a protest on Monday, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the university sparked outrage after describing some protesting students as “intellectually bankrupt” . In a viral video, the DVC initially appealed for calm, telling the students, “Let’s calm down. We’re all intellectual beings, so one day you might even find yourself in my shoes. So, don’t talk rubbish because you don’t know what your future will be” . However, the exchange became heated when students urged him to address their immediate concerns, prompting the response: “Listen, listen! Many of you are intellectually bankrupt. When I say you don’t know what your future holds and you are replying to me, I’m a successful man!” .
The DVC further told the students that the issues surrounding the Law programme existed before the university secured accreditation, a remark that drew boos from the crowd . Students attempted to draw his attention to a document showing that the Council of Legal Education’s decision was dated August 19, but the official dismissed the date as irrelevant .
The National Association of Nigerian Students has expressed solidarity with the protesting law students, accusing the university management of continuing to admit students into the programme despite lacking CLE recognition and approval, leaving graduates stranded . “It is rather appalling that despite the affected students’ continuous agitations and the intervention of the apex student representative body, NANS, the management of Atiba University, Oyo State, has paid no heed to these genuine agitations,” NANS said in a statement .
The student body called on the National Universities Commission to immediately withdraw the university’s licence and demanded that Atiba University resolve all outstanding issues and provide a clear pathway for eligible students and graduates to the Nigerian Law School . NANS also stated that graduates of the programme had been left stranded and unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School because of the university’s inability to secure the necessary recognition and approval from the CLE .
Failure to act promptly, NANS warned, would lead to further escalation . The controversy took another turn on Tuesday after NANS President Akinteye Babatunde shared a video appearing to show the DVC climbing a fence while trying to leave the university premises after his exchange with the protesting students . “The Law Student’s of ATIBA UNIVERSITY, make sure the DVC who spoke to them rudely and arrogantly during their protest yesterday, could not leave the school, until he escaped through the Fence,” Babatunde wrote .
Meanwhile, the Council also approved five universities to begin offering Law from the 2026/2027 academic session, granting each institution an initial admission quota of 50 students for their 100-level intake . The decision on Atiba University, however, reflects the Council’s determination to enforce regulatory standards and hold institutions accountable for violations that undermine the quality and integrity of legal education in Nigeria.
