Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja to recognise an infant admission-seeker, Master Aondo Terdoo Caleb, as a student of the institution.
  
The judge issued the order following a motion ex-parte filed by Master Terdoo through his mother, praying the court to grant him all rights and privileges as a student of the college.
 
The plaintiff had dragged the college before the court seeking an order to compel the college to admit him as a student. His mother, Mrs Ogooluwa Terkaa Aondo, instituted the case on his behalf against the college for the enforcement of his right to education and admission to the prestigious institution.
  
Joined as co-defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1114/2024 are the principal of the college, Father Chikere Ugwuanyi and the president, Rev Father Peter Chidolue.

Recall that Justice Lifu had directed an amicable settlement of the admission dispute between the school and the infant. The judge said it would not be good for the infant to begin on hostile grounds and pleaded with the lawyers in the matter to do everything humanly possible to convince their clients to shift grounds for an out-of-court settlement. 
  
While expressing optimism that he would get a positive report on the settlement, the judge said he would proceed with the case should his directive not yield positive results. 
  
However, the settlement ordered by the court failed, and the parties returned to court.  In an ex-parte application, he brought before the court, the admission-seeking applicant had applied to the court for an order of interim injunction to compel Loyola Jesuit College and its authorities to recognise him as their student.
  
He had also asked the court to direct the college to grant him every right, privilege, entitlement and facility accorded to its students in Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS 1) to resume on August 20, 2024, without any limitation or restriction pending the hearing and determination of his motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
  
The applicant had also prayed the court to restrain the principal and president of the college from denying him the right to education and giving out his rights of studentship to any other person pending the hearing and determination of his motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
 
In the order of interim injunction, Justice Lifu ordered the school to recognise the infant as a student.  He also ordered an accelerated hearing on the matter considering the nature of the suit, which borders on rights violations. Subsequently, tomorrow has been fixed for the commencement of the hearing on the substantive suit.