Court orders UNICAL to restore access for 214 law students

He reportedly told the court that he had only filed a conditional memorandum of appearance and requested an adjournment to enable the defendants to respond to the suit.

Students Oppose Adjournment

Opposing the request, Okpi argued that the defendants had been served on August 24, 2026, and had already exhausted the statutory 30-day period allowed for filing their response.

He urged the court to proceed with the hearing or, alternatively, award N2 million in costs against the defendants if an adjournment was granted.

He also asked the court to allow the students to move their application for an interlocutory injunction.

Following the arguments, Justice Abdulmalik delivered a bench ruling and granted the interim reliefs sought by the students.

The court consequently directed the university authorities to maintain the status quo and immediately restore full academic access to the 214 affected students pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

Dispute Over Students’ Admission

The case followed a dispute over the admission status of 214 students studying Law at UNICAL.

The students had earlier challenged the university’s decision to remove them from the Faculty of Law and return them to the departments where they were originally admitted.

The students had argued that they were admitted into the Law programme, paid the required fees, registered for courses, attended lectures and examinations, and progressed through their studies.

They subsequently filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking, among other reliefs, an order restraining the university from transferring them from the Faculty of Law or restricting their access to academic facilities.

The students also sought N5 billion in damages over the dispute.

Background to the Dispute

The university had maintained that only 221 of the 435 students in the affected second-year Law class were officially admitted into the programme, while the remaining 214 students had entered the Faculty of Law from other departments.

UNICAL said the affected students could face difficulties progressing to the Nigerian Law School if they remained in the programme under their existing admission status.

The university subsequently locked their academic portals as part of the process of transferring them back to their original departments.

It also offered to refund their 2025/2026 school fees or provide free tuition for the 2026/2027 academic session in their former departments.

The students, however, argued that they had acted in good faith throughout the admission and academic process and that the university should not penalise them for administrative issues surrounding their admission and JAMB regularisation.

Court Order

With the latest ruling, the 214 students are to regain unrestricted access to lectures, academic portals and other relevant academic facilities while the substantive case remains before the court.

The order is interim in nature and does not constitute a final determination of the dispute over the students’ admission status.

The substantive suit will determine the legal and administrative issues surrounding the students’ admission into the Faculty of Law and their continued status in the programme.

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