Baze University barred from admitting law students for five years

In a significant move, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) has swiftly imposed a five-year ban on admitting law students to Baze University's Faculty of Law in Abuja. This decision comes as a direct response to the university's blatant violation of its approved admission quota of 50 students per session, as set by the council. The accreditation panel, led by Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), the director-general of the Nigerian Law School, delivered this verdict against Baze University.

Baze University finds itself in hot water due to several offenses, the primary one being the consistent breach of its admission quota. According to the CLE, the Faculty of Law now grapples with a backlog of over 347 aspiring law students awaiting admission to the Nigerian Law School.

Another grave violation noted by the CLE is Baze University's admission of over 750 law students since 2017. This excessive intake, according to the council, is a stark contrast to the expected number over a 15-year period based on the allocated quota.

Adding to the university's transgressions, it was accused of operating a three-year LL.B program for UTME candidates without the necessary approvals from the National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the Council of Legal Education. Under the NUC Minimum Benchmark Academic Standard (BMAS), law degree programs for UTME candidates are meant to be five years, with four years for Direct Entry students.

In response to these infractions, the CLE has decisively implemented a moratorium on law student admissions to Baze University's Faculty of Law. This moratorium, effective immediately, will last for an initial period of five years and may be extended if no satisfactory actions are taken to rectify the situation. The council, mindful of the affected students, parents, and guardians, intends to utilize this period to address the backlog of law students admitted in excess of the approved quota by Baze University. Furthermore, the council has committed to conducting follow-up visits to the university to assess the progress made in rectifying these anomalies.