Baze University Barred from Admitting Law Students for Five Years

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Abuja-based Baze University, said to be owned by the running mate of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, has been barred by the Council of Legal Education (CLE) from further admitting students into its Law Faculty for next five years.

The decision by the CLE, it was learnt, was informed by the university’s alleged consistent abuse of its admission quota for Law students.
The Acting Secretary and Director of Administration of the Nigerian Law School, Aderonke Osho, said in a statement, that Baze University was banned for consistently violating its admission quota of 50 students per session as approved by the CLE.

The Chairman of the CLE, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) also confirmed the development.
Osho, in the statement, added that the ban resulted from the findings of the CLE, to the effect that the university’s Law Faculty currently has a backlog of over 347 law students waiting to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School.

She said the university runs a three-year LL.B programme for some UTME candidates without the approval of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and CLE.
Part of the statement reads: “At its quarterly meeting held on November 23, 2023, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) presided over by its Chairman, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, OFR, considered the report of the Accreditation Panel to the Faculty of Law, Baze University, Abuja.

“It emerged from the findings by the panel, led by the Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, that Baze University consistently and most flagrantly had contravened its admission quota of 50 students per session as approved by the Council of Legal Education with the result that the faculty is currently having a backlog of over 347 law students waiting to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School.

“Since 2017 the Council of Legal Education has grappled with the excesses of Baze University by admitting over 750 law students which ordinarily would have taken about 15 years of admission based on the quota allotted to the university.
 “Under the NUC Minimum Benchmark Academic Standard (BMAS) for law degree programme in Nigerian universities, Law is a five-year programme for UTME candidates and four (4)-year for Direct Entry students.

“The Council of Legal Education, after thorough consideration of these infractions, resolved as follows:
*The imposition of a moratorium on admission of law students to the Faculty of Law, Baze University, Abuja, with immediate effect;
*The moratorium will last in the first instance for a period of five years and may be renewed if no satisfactory action is taken to remedy the situation.

*The Council, in the interest of the innocent students, parents and guardians, will use the five year period to find ways to deal with the backlog of law students admitted by Baze University in excess of its admission quota.
*Follow-up visits will be paid to the university to ascertain the extent of the measures it has taken to remedy the anomalies observed during the accreditation visit.

*The National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), parents, guardians, prospective applicants and members of the public are hereby put on notice on the status of Baze University Abuja and its Faculty of Law.”