The Oyo State High Court has ruled that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) cannot compel Muslim female candidates to remove their hijab as a condition for sitting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), declaring such a requirement unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Y. S. Adekunle on 20 July 2026 in Suit No. I/560/2025, held that compelling candidates to remove their hijab violates the constitutional right to freedom of religion guaranteed under Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The suit was instituted by Lawal Hameedat Adenike Olamide, a minor, through her mother, Mrs Basirat Ojo-Oba, after she was allegedly prevented from writing the 25 April 2025 UTME unless she removed her hijab at a Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre operated by PEFTI Film Institute Ltd.
In the judgment, the court held both JAMB and PEFTI Film Institute Ltd liable for violating the claimant’s fundamental rights.
Justice Adekunle declared that, “Any rules made by the Defendants making removal of hijab used for religious purposes by any female candidate of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination is illegal, null, void and a contradiction to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
The court further ruled that making the removal of the hijab a precondition for writing the UTME amounted to an infringement of the claimant’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
As part of the reliefs granted, the court ordered JAMB and PEFTI Film Institute Ltd to issue separate letters of apology to the claimant and publish the apologies in two national newspapers within seven days of the judgment.
The court also awarded ₦10 million in damages against the two defendants, jointly and severally, as well as ₦500,000 as the cost of the suit.
Justice Adekunle explained that although the judgment had initially been scheduled for 14 July 2026, its delivery was postponed to allow the court to consider a recent Court of Appeal decision delivered on 3 July 2026 on a similar issue before reaching its final decision.
Reacting to the verdict, counsel to the claimant, Qousim Opakunle, welcomed the ruling, describing it as a victory for constitutional rights.
“The actions of the defendants violated 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,” he said.
The judgment is expected to have significant implications for examination centres nationwide by reaffirming the constitutional protection of religious expression for Muslim female candidates participating in JAMB examinations.
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