Report by MSSN Akinyele Area Council

At approximately 6:45 AM today (16/04/2026), a UTME candidate scheduled for the 6:30 AM (7:00 AM) session, Fatimah Salaudeen from Aperin-Elekuro Area Council, arrived at the Esther Oshikoya CBT centre. Upon arrival, she met other candidates already being arranged for entry. Some female candidates had reportedly been instructed to remove their head coverings (hijab), which they complied with.

Upon Fatimah’s turn, she was hesitant to remove her hijab. Her initial resistance to this directive led to a confrontation, which subsequently escalated tensions at the venue. The situation was further aggravated by some parents present, including Muslims, whose reactions suggested it was ‘just removing and tying.’

The student in question later complied with the directive, and this compliance formed the basis of the incident captured in the trending video.

Members of MSSN arrived at the centre shortly after 7:00 AM and raised concerns regarding the situation. Within minutes, some parents who had earlier complied began to reconsider their stance. About five minutes later, the Resident Monitor from the University of Ilorin intervened promptly, expressed strong disapproval of the situation, and helped to de-escalate tensions. Subsequently, the Centre Supervisor and other officials came down to assess the situation.

At the time of the incident, only two officers were present at the scene, while other officials were inside the centre attending to ongoing examination processes.

At about 9:50 AM, additional MSSN delegations were on the ground, and a meeting with centre officials was held.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), led by Mr Koleoso (Head of Operations, Oyo State), arrived with a patrol team. He acknowledged receiving multiple reports from Abuja and clarified that the actions of the officer involved did not reflect the policies of the centre, NSCDC, or JAMB.

Mr and Mrs Oshikoya, owners of the centre, expressed shock at the situation, noting that no such religious incident had occurred in over 11 years of operating the centre. Mr Oshikoya further stated that they are not concerned with searching procedures, entrance protocols, examination operations, or thumbprinting processes. His primary concern is ensuring the smooth conduct of the examination, and he added that he had been moving ‘helter-skelter’ to restore order and ensure the smooth running of the centre.

The Centre Supervisor, Prof. Abdullahi Oriire (University of Abuja), stated that the screening process had been proceeding smoothly, with several properly dressed Muslim female candidates already admitted without issues. He expressed surprise at the unfortunate incident and assured that such would not recur.

A senior police officer and his team also intervened to restore calm.

The officer involved in the incident has since been replaced, and, at the time this report was filed, normal activities have resumed without further disruption.