A 19-year-old candidate of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Opesusi Faith Timilehin, has reportedly taken her own life in Lagos State after scoring 190 in the recently released Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) results.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, where Timilehin was living with her elder sister.
According to a report by The Guardian, the deceased had sat for the UTME in 2024 and reportedly performed better than her 2025 result.
Sources revealed that the teenager ingested a poisonous substance known as ‘Push Out’ rat poison at home before proceeding to her sister’s office, where she requested palm oil to ease the resulting pain.
An eyewitness said her sister initially dismissed her request, unaware of the cause of her distress, but later raised an alarm when Timilehin confessed, while being rushed to the hospital, that she had consumed poison.
“She made the confession on the way to the hospital, but it was too late. She was confirmed dead at Kolak Hospital, Odogunyan,” the source added.
In a tragic twist, it was discovered shortly after her death that she had received an admission offer via email.
Timilehin’s death has sparked renewed concern over the psychological pressure faced by students in Nigeria, particularly surrounding the UTME, a computer-based entrance exam conducted by JAMB since 1978 for admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Authorities are yet to officially comment on the incident, but the development has prompted calls for increased mental health support for students nationwide.
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