A teenager, Lawal Hameedat Adenike, has filed a lawsuit against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the PEFTI CBT Centre, alleging she was forced to remove her hijab before taking the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The legal action was initiated on her behalf by her mother and legal counsel.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Hameedat’s mother, Basirat Ojo, recounted the events of April 25, 2025, when her daughter arrived at the PEFTI CBT Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, to sit for her UTME.
“She was told she would not be allowed to write the exam unless she removed her hijab,” Ojo said. “This was deeply painful and humiliating for her. I felt compelled to act to defend her rights.”
The lawsuit is seeking a public apology from both JAMB and PEFTI, to be published in two national newspapers. It also demands compensation for the alleged violation of her rights and a judicial declaration that any policy requiring female candidates to remove their hijabs is unconstitutional.
Lawal’s lawyer, Qousim Opakunle, underscored the constitutional basis of the case, citing Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
“This case is about defending fundamental human rights,” Opakunle stated. “Minors, especially, must be protected when those rights are threatened.”
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