The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued an interim injunction preventing the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from enforcing its recent policy, which mandates that students be at least 16 years old to gain admission to Nigerian universities.
This ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Warri Branch, who is advocating for students born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who passed the 2024 JAMB exams but fall below the new age threshold.
Aikpokpo-Martins’ suit, labeled W/311/FHR/2021, names JAMB and Edwin Clark University as defendants. Justice Anthony Akpovi granted the plaintiff’s requested reliefs, stating that the court order prevents JAMB and the involved institutions from enforcing the age policy until the main case is resolved.
The ruling also specifically seeks to protect the educational rights of Angel Aikpokpo Martins and others affected by the age restriction, ensuring their admission status is preserved pending a final decision. Justice Akpovi ruled that JAMB’s age restriction, announced on October 16, be suspended, allowing students below 16 who passed the JAMB exams to retain their admission status.
In a statement, Justice Akpovi explained, “Reliefs 1 and 2 are hereby granted to preserve and protect the respondents, which is the right of every Nigerian child born on the 1st of September 2009 to the 31st of December, 2009, who wrote and passed JAMB exams in 2024 to remain duly admitted by 1st respondent as it applies to all Nigerian Universities including 2nd respondent.”
The hearing of the originating motion is scheduled for an accelerated timeline, maintaining the current admission list in the meantime.
