ATIBA LAW STUDENTS FACE UNCERTAINTY AS PARENTS DEMAND FEDERAL INTERVENTION

Parents of students studying Law at Atiba University in Oyo State have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the accreditation crisis surrounding the university’s Law programme.

The parents are seeking measures that would allow affected students to transfer to accredited institutions without losing the years they have already spent studying or the substantial financial investments made by their families.

The parents, represented by their lawyer, Victor Opatola, made the appeal in Abuja while calling on the National Universities Commission, the Minister of Education and the Council of Legal Education to resolve the matter before the beginning of the next academic session.

The crisis centres on the accreditation status of Atiba University’s Law programme and the implications for students who have progressed to the higher levels of the course. Some affected students are reportedly already in 400-Level and 500-Level, with some having completed their academic requirements but unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School.

Opatola said some students had spent as many as five years studying Law, while their parents had committed significant financial resources to their education. According to him, the families only later became aware of the problem surrounding the programme’s approval by the Council of Legal Education.

He explained that accreditation by the CLE is necessary for Law graduates who intend to proceed to the Nigerian Law School, making the situation particularly serious for students approaching graduation.

The lawyer said the Council of Legal Education had placed Atiba University under a 10-year moratorium, preventing the institution from admitting new students into its Law programme during the period. However, students who were already enrolled have been left uncertain about how they can complete their studies and proceed with their professional training.

The parents said they had already petitioned the NUC and other relevant authorities, but complained about delays in receiving a response. Opatola said correspondence sent to the commission nearly two months earlier had not produced the desired intervention.

The immediate demand of the parents is for the affected students to be transferred to accredited Law faculties without being forced to restart their studies from lower levels.

They are also asking authorities to ensure that the students’ academic records are released to facilitate transfers and that further fee demands are suspended while the dispute is being resolved.

In a formal notice dated June 30, 2026, the parents’ lawyers demanded the release of the students’ transcripts and other academic records without additional charges. They also called for the university to facilitate and fund transfers and refund tuition and levies paid by affected students.

The parents subsequently petitioned the NUC on July 10, requesting an investigation and urgent intervention. They stated that the CLE’s list of accredited Law faculties published in June 2026 did not include Atiba University.

According to the petition, students from 100-Level through 500-Level could be affected, including students who have already completed their 500-Level studies but remain unable to progress to Law School.

The parents also alleged that the university demanded ₦75,000 from students seeking their transcripts for transfer purposes. They criticised the charge and argued that the students should not bear the consequences of an accreditation problem they did not create.

However, the Vice-Chancellor of Atiba University, Professor S.O. Okeniyi, disputed aspects of the allegations.

Okeniyi said that the university had obtained accreditation from the National Universities Commission to run the degree programme and had been seeking accreditation from the Council of Legal Education.

He explained that the institution had repeatedly invited the CLE to assess the programme after securing NUC approval, insisting that the university did not deliberately avoid obtaining the council’s approval.

The parents, meanwhile, have urged the CLE to take the students’ circumstances into consideration and work with the NUC to find a solution that protects the academic progress of those already enrolled.

They also called for the involvement of the Consumer Protection Commission, describing the matter as a consumer protection issue because of the financial commitments made by the affected families.

The dispute has therefore placed hundreds of students and their families in a difficult position, with the parents seeking government intervention to ensure that years of academic work are not lost because of the disagreement over the programme’s accreditation.

The families are now awaiting intervention from the relevant authorities before the next academic session, hoping that a transfer arrangement or another solution can be reached to enable the affected students to continue their legal education and eventually pursue admission to the Nigerian Law School.