A teenage girl, Lawal Hameedat Adenike, has taken the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and a test centre named PEFTI to court. She claims they forced her to remove her hijab before she could take the 2025 UTME exam.

The case was filed by her mother, Basirat Ojo, who is also acting as her legal guardian and representative.

Speaking with news reporters in Abuja, Mrs. Ojo shared that the event happened on April 25, 2025. Her daughter was scheduled to write her UTME at the PEFTI CBT Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.

She explained that her daughter was not allowed to take the exam unless she removed her hijab, which she wears because of her religion. Mrs. Ojo said the experience was both embarrassing and upsetting for her daughter. She felt this action was a serious violation of her daughter’s rights.

In the lawsuit, they are asking JAMB and PEFTI to write a public apology and publish it in two national newspapers. They also want the court to order them to pay compensation and to declare that forcing girls to take off their hijabs is against the Nigerian Constitution.

The family’s lawyer, Qousim Opakunle, said that this action goes against the rights protected by the Nigerian Constitution.

He pointed to Section 38, which gives everyone the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. He also said it is especially important to protect these rights for children and teenagers, who often can’t speak up for themselves.