TEENAGE GIRL DRAGS JAMB TO COURT OVER HIJAB BAN DURING UTME
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By: Sefiu Ajape
A Nigerian teenager, Lawal Hameedat Adenike, has filed a lawsuit against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and PEFTI CBT Centre, alleging that she was forced to remove her hijab before taking the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The suit, filed on her behalf by her mother and legal representative, follows an incident on April 25, 2025, at the PEFTI CBT Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, her mother, Basirat Ojo, recounted the ordeal: “My daughter was told she could not write the exam unless she removed her hijab, which she wears for religious reasons. This was a painful and humiliating experience for her. As her mother, I had to take action to protect her rights.”
The legal action seeks a public apology from both JAMB and PEFTI to be published in two national dailies, as well as compensation for the violation of her rights.
It also calls for a court declaration that any directive requiring female candidates to remove their hijab is unconstitutional.
Also reacting, Lawal’s lawyer, Qousim Opakunle, stressed that the action infringes upon the Nigerian Constitution.
He said, “This demand violates Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It is our duty to protect these fundamental rights, especially for minors who cannot defend themselves.”
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