A 17-year-old girl, Lawal Hameedat Adenike, has taken the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and PEFTI to court after she was allegedly forced to remove her hijab before sitting for her UTME exam in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The incident occurred on April 25, 2025, at the PEFTI Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centre. According to her mother, Mrs. Basirat Ojo, the exam officials told Hameedat that she could not take the exam unless she removed her hijab, which she wears as part of her Islamic faith.
“This was a painful and humiliating experience for my daughter,” Mrs. Ojo said while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday. “As a mother, I could not let it go. We had to take legal action.”
The lawsuit, filed by her mother and lawyer, Qousim Opakunle, demands a public apology from JAMB and PEFTI, to be published in two national newspapers. It also seeks financial compensation and a court declaration that any rule or practice that forces Muslim girls to remove their hijab during exams is unconstitutional.
Speaking on the legal aspect, Opakunle said the action violated Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
“This case is about defending the rights of all Nigerians, especially minors, who may not have the power to speak for themselves,” he stated.
The case has sparked conversations around religious freedom and exam regulations, especially as millions of Nigerian students participate in UTME across the country every year.
