By Mercy Aikoye
The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Chiroma, has stated that examination malpractices are a serious offense that can prevent students from being called to the bar. He made this assertion during an investigative hearing held by the House Committee on Justice, chaired by Hon. Olumide Osoba. The hearing was prompted by a motion concerning alleged withholding of bar results and a backlog of students awaiting call to the bar.
Professor Chiroma dismissed a petition filed by hundreds of law graduates who claimed their results were being withheld. He explained that the Law School follows a transparent process in handling examination results, with a clear calendar outlining the timeline for admissions, lectures, internships, examinations, and result processing. According to him, once the Council approves results, they are immediately released on the Law School’s portal.
The Law School helmsman presented visual evidence of students caught engaging in exam malpractices, including some who wrote on their laps and sensitive body parts. He emphasized that those who fail examinations or engage in malpractices cannot be called to the bar, as it is the statutory responsibility of the Body of Benchers to determine who qualifies. Chiroma also explained that when students are caught with extraneous materials or phones during exams, they are given a chance to defend themselves before a Committee of Management, which determines their guilt or innocence.
In response to the presentation, Hon. Osoba expressed the Committee’s satisfaction with the installation of CCTV cameras in the Law School’s Abuja campus. He emphasized the need for additional budgetary provision to install CCTV cameras in other Law Schools across the country. Osoba also commended the Law School management for providing pictorial evidence of exam malpractices and announced that the Committee would embark on an oversight function to all Law Schools in the coming weeks.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School also clarified that the call to bar is not an activity of the Law School Council but rather the Body of Benchers. He explained that the Body of Benchers has a set calendar for Call to Bar ceremonies, which typically take place in July and November. According to him, those who passed their examinations would be called to the bar on specific dates, with one group being called from July 8-10 and another group from November 18-20.
Professor Chiroma’s presentation highlighted the Law School’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its processes. He emphasized that the issue of withholding results does not arise, as results are released immediately after Council approval. The Law School’s helmsman also jokingly asked Hon. Osoba and other Committee members if they were fasting, as he relayed the due process followed by the Law School.
The Committee’s oversight function is expected to provide a firsthand look at the infrastructure in place at the Law Schools across the country. The hearing underscored the importance of maintaining the integrity of the legal profession and ensuring that only qualified individuals are called to the bar.
