The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has addressed the JAMB hijab incident reported at a Computer-Based Test centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, attributing the situation to an overzealous ad hoc staff member during the ongoing UTME screening exercise.
The Board said the action did not reflect its official policy and was immediately corrected after intervention at the centre.
The JAMB hijab incident occurred during accreditation and screening procedures at the Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre in Ibadan, where candidates were being processed for the first session of the 2026 UTME.
JAMB conducts nationwide examinations through accredited CBT centres, where both staff and ad hoc personnel are deployed to manage candidate verification, identity checks, and examination protocols. These procedures are guided by official guidelines designed to ensure uniformity across all centres.
Incidents relating to examination conduct and candidate dress codes have occasionally surfaced in past UTME cycles, prompting repeated clarifications from the examination body on its policies regarding religious expression and candidate treatment.
In a statement issued on Thursday by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the Board said it was alerted to the situation during the examination exercise and immediately intervened at the centre.
JAMB explained that it directed that no candidate wearing a hijab should be asked to remove or alter it, stressing that such an instruction is not part of its official screening procedure. The Board described the action as that of an overzealous ad hoc staff member who failed to follow established guidelines.
The statement clarified that the JAMB hijab incident was not linked to the CBT centre itself and did not reflect official policy. According to the Board, the situation was promptly addressed once it came to its attention during monitoring of the exercise.
JAMB further reiterated that it respects the religious beliefs of all candidates and maintains that no candidate should be discriminated against on the basis of faith or mode of dressing. It added that all ad hoc staff had been reminded and re-briefed on approved screening procedures to prevent a recurrence.
The Board also assured candidates that their rights to religious expression, including dressing, remain protected under its examination framework, and that all screening processes must align with established guidelines across all centres nationwide.
The JAMB hijab incident highlights ongoing sensitivity around religious expression within public examination environments in Nigeria. It also underscores the reliance on ad hoc personnel in large-scale national examinations and the importance of strict adherence to guidelines during candidate screening.
JAMB’s response reflects efforts to maintain public confidence in its examination processes while reinforcing uniform standards across CBT centres. The incident may also prompt further internal reviews of staff training and compliance monitoring during examinations.
