The Delta State Excessive Court docket in Warri on Friday granted an interim injunction in addition to restrained the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, from taking additional motion on and/or giving impact to the directives contained in its round of October 16, 2024, titled “Admission of Candidates With Minimal Admissible Age of 16 Years,” pending the listening to and the willpower of an originating movement.
The courtroom presided over by Justice A.O. Akpovi, in Swimsuit No. W/311/FHR/2024, granted the order.
The choose stated the impact of the interim orders is that JAMB’s round to vice-chancellors, provosts and rectors is out in abeyance and on maintain the implementation of the stated directives.
Justice Akpovi additional stated that the established order to be maintained is the admission record earlier than the round, pending the listening to of the originating movement dated and filed on October 24, 2024.
The courtroom additionally granted an accelerated listening to, and the case was adjourned to October 31, November 8 and 21, and December 4, 2024.
The first Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Affiliation, John Aikpokpo-Martins, instituted the elemental human rights motion on behalf of all candidates born on September 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009, who wrote and handed the JAMB examination in 2024.
The authorized practitioner argued that the stated candidates are being denied admission solely on the bottom that they aren’t deemed to be 16 years previous by August 31, 2025, despite assembly all different admission standards.
Based on him: “It’s my rivalry that every one these candidates which can be as a consequence of be 16 years previous from the first of January 2025 to the thirty first of December 2025 are eligible for admission on the bottom that they kind a part of the identical class of 16 years previous in 2025. That the limitation of the which means of 16 years previous in 2025 to solely these born from the first of January to the thirty first of August 2025 is an infringement of the liberty from discrimination of these candidates as assured by Part 41(1) & (2) of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”
He outlined the reliefs he’s looking for: “A declaration that the round of the first respondent dated the sixteenth day of October 2024 captioned “Admission of Candidates With Minimal Admissible Age of 16 Years” signed by Mohammed A. Babaji to all Nigerian universities, together with the 2nd defendant, directing them to confess solely candidates who will likely be 16 years previous by the thirty first day of August 2025, violently violates the elemental proper to freedom from discrimination of the candidates who will likely be 16 years from the first of September 2025 to the thirty first of December 2025 assured by Part 42 of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and is due to this fact unconstitutional, null and void and of no impact.
“An order setting apart the round of the first respondent dated the sixteenth day of October 2024 captioned “Admission of Candidates With Minimal Admissible Age of 16 Years” signed by Mohammed A. Babaji to all Nigerian universities for being unconstitutional, null and void and of no impact.
“An order directing the respondents to confess and/or concern letters of admission to all these candidates who’re as a consequence of be 16 years from the first of January, 2025 to the thirty first of December, 2025 and who met all different admission standards.
“An order restraining the 2nd respondent from withdrawing the admission already granted to candidates who will likely be 16 years from 1st of September, 2025 to December 2025 on the idea of the first respondent’s directive dated the sixteenth of October, 2024.”
Different reliefs he seeks embody fifty million naira damages in opposition to JAMB and an order of perpetual injunction “restraining the respondents, whether or not by themselves, their brokers, servants, privies and officers, from denying candidates admission into Nigerian universities solely on the bottom of not attaining 16 years of age.”
He added: “I hope we achieve the primary case and test the wanton disregard for the regulation and commonsense within the motherland.”
DAILY POST remembers that on October 16, 2024, JAMB, through the stated round, directed tertiary establishments to confess solely candidates who will likely be 16 years previous and older by the thirty first of August, 2024.
By this directive, candidates who will likely be 16 years previous by the first of September 2025 to the thirty first day of December 2025 have been thereby excluded from being admitted and due to this fact discriminated in opposition to by JAMB.
