The family of 19-year-old Timilehin Faith Opesusi has been plunged into mourning after the teenager died by suicide, devastated by her perceived poor performance in the 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Sources revealed that Timilehin ingested rodent poison on Monday after scoring 190 in the recently released UTME results. The aspiring microbiology student, who hailed from Abeokuta but was residing with her older sister in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos State, was described by neighbours as “gentle and humble.”
“She said her result last year was better than this year’s,” a close friend revealed, noting that she had also taken the exam in 2024.
Concern arose when Timilehin approached her sister’s office to request palm oil—commonly used in Nigeria as a first-aid response to poisoning—complaining of abdominal pain from something she had ingested. Alarmed by her condition, her sister raised the alarm, drawing sympathisers who rushed her to the hospital.
While en route to Kolak Hospital, Timilehin reportedly confessed to having consumed poison earlier that day. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
In a cruel twist of fate, just 30 minutes after her passing, Timilehin received a provisional admission notification via her Gmail account—an opportunity she had long awaited.
Her grieving parents, upon hearing the news, travelled from Abeokuta to Ikorodu to retrieve her body, which was taken home for burial.
Residents of the community expressed outrage, pointing fingers at JAMB for what they claim is a pattern of poor results and psychological distress among candidates. Many lamented the high pressure placed on students and the emotional toll of the examination process.