Five Law Students Barred for 10 Years over Exam Malpractice

The Council of Legal Education (CLE), on Monday, announced that five law students have been barred from sitting for the Bar Final Examination for 10 years over examination malpractice.

The council made this decision during its third-quarter meeting at the Nigerian Law School headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.

In a statement on Sunday, Aderonke Osho, the council’s secretary and director of administration, said the meeting reviewed and approved reports from the examination misconduct committee about cases from the December 2025 Bar Final Examination.

“Following consideration of the reports, the Council approved the disqualification of five (5) candidates found guilty of examination misconduct and barred them from sitting the Bar Final Examination for a period of ten (10) years,” the statement said.

The council also approved penalties for two students found guilty of indiscipline-related misconduct.

However, CLE did not share the names of the students involved or the universities they attended.

Osho also said the meeting discussed policies, regulations, academic issues, and administrative matters related to legal education and running the law school.

In April, the council reported that about 1,067 out of 7,602 candidates failed the 2025 Bar Final Examination.

The results showed 212 candidates earned first-class honours, and 1,216 received second-class upper.

In addition, 2,961 candidates graduated with second-class lower honours, 1,622 passed, and 314 received conditional passes.

A total of 210 candidates did not attend the exam. The council reported an overall pass rate of 79.1 percent, which is lower than last year.

At the same time, 983 candidates failed the 2026 bar final resit. This accounts for 50.3 per cent of the 1,955 candidates who took the exam.

According to the council, only 883 candidates passed the examination held in May, for an overall pass rate of 45.3 per cent, while 54.7 per cent did not attain the prescribed pass mark.

The bar final is the qualifying exam administered by the Nigerian Law School for law graduates who have completed the required vocational training. It is usually held once a year and is necessary for those who want to become legal practitioners in Nigeria.