The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has barred five law students from sitting the Bar Final Examination for 10 years after finding them guilty of examination malpractice during the December 2025 Bar Final Examination.
The decision was reached 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 by Aderonke Osho, Secretary to the Council and Director of Administration, the five candidates were disqualified and sanctioned over examination-related misconduct. The council did not publicly disclose the identities of the affected students or details of the specific malpractice.
The CLE also approved disciplinary measures against two other students found culpable of separate acts of indiscipline.
The sanctions formed part of a series of decisions taken at the meeting as the council reinforced its commitment to maintaining standards and academic integrity in Nigerian legal education.
At the meeting, the council approved the results of the May 2026 Bar Final (Resit) Examination, which was taken by 1,955 candidates.
A total of 885 candidates passed outright, while 55 obtained conditional passes. Another 983 candidates failed, 32 were absent and the results of 19 candidates were withheld.
The overall pass rate for the examination was 45.3 per cent.
CLE Approves Five Universities for Law Programmes
The council also approved five universities to commence Law programmes, with an initial quota of 50 students each for the 100 Level intake.
The institutions are Amadeus University, Amazi, Abia State; Akwa Ibom State University; European University of Nigeria, Abuja; Oduduwa University, Ipetu-Modu, Osun State; and Peaceland University, Enugu State.
However, the council imposed a 10-year moratorium on Atiba University, Oyo State, following its assessment of the institution’s Faculty of Law.
The CLE said the university’s facilities were inappropriate and inadequate for a Faculty of Law and that the institution had admitted and graduated students without the required approval.
The decisions reflect the council’s continuing oversight of legal education and professional training in Nigeria, particularly the standards required for students seeking qualification as legal practitioners.
The 10-year exclusion imposed on the five candidates represents one of the most severe sanctions available within the Bar examination process and underscores the importance the Council of Legal Education places on examination integrity.
