The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued an order restraining the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from implementing its recent policy requiring a minimum admissible age of 16 years for university admissions.
This development comes after JAMB announced that only candidates who will be 16 years old by August 2025 would be admitted to tertiary institutions, as part of the Ministry of Education’s new policy adopting 18 years as the minimum age for admission.
John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former Nigerian Bar Association chairman, Warri branch, challenged JAMB’s directive in court, seeking relief for candidates born between September 1 and December 31, 2009, who passed the JAMB exams in 2024. Justice Anthony Akpovi granted all the reliefs sought by Aikpokpo-Martins, putting JAMB’s circular on hold and maintaining the status quo until the hearing of the originating motion.
The court’s ruling effectively preserves the rights of affected candidates to remain duly admitted to Nigerian universities, including Edwin Clark University, which was listed as the second respondent in the suit. JAMB’s exception for students seeking admission in the 2024/2025 session remains in place.
In his ruling, Justice Olotu emphasized that the reliefs granted aim to protect the rights of every Nigerian child born between September 1 and December 31, 2009, who passed the JAMB exams in 2024. The court also granted accelerated hearing for the case, ensuring a swift resolution to the dispute.
