The Delta State High Court sitting in Warri has issued a restraining order against the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), temporarily preventing it from enforcing its policy mandating a minimum admission age of 16 years for Nigerian university applicants.
This ruling was delivered on Saturday pending the hearing and determination of a motion filed by John Aikpokpo-Martins.
Aikpokpo-Martins, a former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairman is representing candidates born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who successfully passed the JAMB exams in 2024.
In response to the Ministry of Education’s recent introduction of 18 years as the minimum age for tertiary admissions, JAMB announced on October 16 that only candidates who will be 16 by August 2025 would be eligible for the 2024/2025 academic session.
However, Aikpokpo-Martins argued that this policy was unfair to candidates who met the previous requirements.
In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Anthony Akpovi granted all the reliefs sought by the applicant.
The court ordered JAMB to suspend its directive and maintain the existing admission list prior to its recent policy circular.
Additionally, the court protected the admission status of Angel Aikpokpo Martins, one of the affected students, allowing her access to her university’s facilities.
Justice Akpovi emphasized that the ruling aims to preserve the rights of all qualified candidates affected by the recent age policy, pending further court proceedings.
