Council Suspends Five Law Students from Bar Finals for 10 Years Over Exam Malpractice
The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has imposed a 10-year ban on five law students after they were found guilty of examination malpractice during the December 2025 Bar Final Examination.
The decision was made at the council’s third-quarter hybrid meeting on August 13, 2026, held at the Nigerian Law School headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.
In a statement by Aderonke Osho, secretary and director of administration of the council, the CLE said it reviewed reports submitted by its Examination Misconduct Committee concerning alleged violations during the December examination.
Council Suspends Five Law Students from Bar Finals for 10 Years Over Exam Malpractice
After considering the reports, the council approved the disqualification of five candidates and barred them from sitting for any Bar Final Examination for the next 10 years.
Two additional students were also sanctioned after being found responsible for acts of indiscipline. The council, however, did not identify any of the affected students or disclose the institutions where they studied.
Beyond the disciplinary cases, the meeting considered matters related to legal education, including regulatory policies, academic issues, and the administration of the Nigerian Law School.
The latest sanctions come amid concerns over performance in recent Bar Final Examinations. In April, the council announced that 1,067 of the 7,602 candidates who sat for the 2025 examination failed.
The results showed that 212 candidates earned first-class honors, while 1,216 obtained second-class upper honors and 2,961 received second-class lower honors. Another 1,622 candidates passed, 314 received conditional passes, and 210 were absent. The overall pass rate stood at 79.1 percent, a decline from the previous year.
Council Suspends Five Law Students from Bar Finals for 10 Years Over Exam Malpractice
Performance was significantly lower in the 2026 resit examination. According to the council, 983 of the 1,955 candidates who took the examination in May failed, representing 50.3 percent. Only 883 candidates passed, giving the resit a pass rate of 45.3 percent.
Council Suspends Five Law Students from Bar Finals for 10 Years Over Exam Malpractice
The Bar Final Examination is the professional qualifying examination administered by the Nigerian Law School to law graduates who have completed their required vocational training. Passing the examination is a key requirement for admission to the Nigerian legal profession.
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