Council of Legal Education Slams Atiba University With 10-Year Law Programme Moratorium Over Regulatory Breaches
Abuja — The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has imposed a 10-year moratorium on Atiba University in Oyo State, barring the institution from offering Law over what it described as serious deficiencies in 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. In a statement signed by Aderonke O. Osho, Secretary to the Council and Director of Administration, and shared on the council’s official page, the CLE said its findings showed that Atiba University’s facilities were inappropriate and inadequate for the establishment and operation of a Faculty of Law. The council further stated that the institution had violated its admission policy by admitting and graduating students without obtaining the requisite approval, a breach it described as a serious infraction of the regulatory framework guiding legal education nationwide.
According to the council, the moratorium was imposed as a regulatory measure intended to enforce compliance with prescribed standards for legal education and to protect the overall quality and integrity of the profession in the country. The council also cautioned that universities admitting students into law programmes without its approval act in violation of extant regulations and risk facing sanctions.
The sanction against Atiba University comes at a time when affected students have already been raising concerns over their academic standing. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had, prior to the council’s announcement, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the university’s management demanding urgent resolution of the regulatory issues surrounding its Law programme. The association noted that some students, including those who enrolled as far back as 2020, had completed their academic requirements and paid substantial tuition fees but remained unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School due to the unresolved approval issues.
While sanctioning Atiba University, the council simultaneously approved five new universities to begin offering Law from the 2026/2027 academic session. The newly approved institutions are Amadeus University in Amazi, Abia State; Akwa Ibom State University; European University of Nigeria, Abuja; Oduduwa University in Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State; and Peaceland University in Enugu State. Each of the newly approved universities was granted an initial quota of 50 students for their 100 Level intake.
The council also reviewed and increased admission quotas for some existing law faculties. Bowen University in Iwo, Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State, and Topfaith University in Akwa Ibom State each had their quotas raised from 50 to 100 students for the coming academic session. Additional quota revisions were also approved for institutions including North-Eastern University in Gombe, Elizade University, Chrisland University in Abeokuta, and Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
The decisions reflect the council’s ongoing effort to expand access to legal education across the country while tightening oversight of institutions found to be non-compliant with established standards, as Nigeria’s regulatory bodies continue to grapple with balancing growth in higher education with quality assurance.
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