The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued an order restraining the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from implementing its policy mandating a minimum admissible age of 16 years for university admissions.
The order will remain in place pending the hearing and determination of a motion filed against the board.
On October 16, JAMB had announced that only candidates who turn 16 by August 2025 would be admitted to tertiary institutions.
This directive was a follow-up to the Ministry of Education’s policy that set 18 years as the minimum age for admission into higher institutions.
JAMB made an exception for students seeking admission in the 2024/2025 academic session.
John Aikpokpo-Martins, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Warri branch, filed a suit against JAMB, acting on behalf of candidates born between September 1 and December 31, 2009, who wrote and passed the 2024 JAMB exams.
The suit, marked W/311/FHR/2021, named JAMB and Edwin Clark University as the 1st and 2nd respondents.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Anthony Akpovi granted all the reliefs sought by the applicant, as confirmed by a Certified True Copy (CTC) obtained by Sunday PUNCH.
The applicant requested the court to restrain JAMB from enforcing its October 16 circular titled “Admission of Candidates with Minimum Admissible Age of 16 Years,” signed by Mohammed A. Babaji.
Additionally, the applicant sought an interim injunction to prevent the respondents from revoking the admission of Angel Aikpokpo-Martins or restricting her rights and privileges as a student of Edwin Clark University.
Justice Akpovi’s ruling stated, “Reliefs 1 and 2 are hereby granted to preserve and protect the respondents, which is the right of every Nigerian child born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who wrote and passed JAMB exams in 2024, to remain duly admitted by the 1st respondent as it applies to all Nigerian Universities, including the 2nd respondent.”
The judge’s ruling effectively puts JAMB’s circular on hold, maintaining the status quo with the existing admission list prior to the circular’s issuance.
Justice Akpovi also approved substituted service by courier and granted the applicant’s request for an accelerated hearing.