WAEC Slammed With 100 Billion Lawsuit Over Mistreatment of Students

WAEC and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education are in legal trouble over their handling of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Evans Ufeli, has filed a N100 billion lawsuit against both bodies, claiming they exposed students to stressful and unsafe conditions during the exams.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Ufeli said many students were forced to write their English Language paper as late as 8pm in poor lighting and under conditions that were neither secure nor suitable for learning. He described the experience as not only harmful but also a violation of the rights of children who were depending on the government to protect them.

Representing the affected students, Ufeli argued that the situation was unconstitutional and had negative effects on students’ mental health and academic performance.

He said students were made to suffer due to the poor planning and logistics of the exam bodies. Citing sections of the Nigerian Constitution, the Child Rights Act, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, he stated that the government had failed to meet its duty of care to young learners.

The lawsuit demands a re-conduct of all affected exams and calls for a public apology from WAEC and the Ministry of Education. Ufeli is also asking the court to order a total review of WAEC’s planning system to prevent similar problems in the future. More importantly, he wants N100 billion paid in damages to the affected students, saying the trauma and stress they went through cannot be ignored.

In the court papers, Ufeli explained that the rights of students, such as dignity, fair hearing, and even their right to life, were ignored due to the disorder and lack of proper organisation. He stressed that what happened was more than just an exam failure, but a national issue that could affect the future of an entire generation.

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“This is not just about one paper,” he said. “It is about the future of a generation. The law does not permit the State or its agencies to sacrifice the rights and well-being of students on the altar of bureaucratic ineptitude.”

He also pointed out that media reports, civil society groups, and even members of the National Assembly have confirmed that there were widespread problems during the 2025 WASSCE, including late arrival of exam materials and chaotic scenes at several exam centres across the country.

No date has been set yet for the hearing, but the case has already stirred public interest.

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