A civil rights group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has called for the delisting of examination centres implicated in alleged hijab discrimination during the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The group made the demand in a press statement issued on Saturday following a viral video showing a female Muslim candidate denied entry into a Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, for wearing a hijab.

The incident, which occurred at Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre along Sango–Eleyele Road, involved a candidate identified as Fatimah Salaudeen.

She and other Muslim candidates were said to have been asked to remove their hijabs as a condition for accessing the examination hall.

Reacting to the development, MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, condemned the action, describing it as discriminatory and a violation of fundamental human rights.

He argued that such treatment undermines equal access to education and negatively affects the psychological readiness of affected candidates.

According to the group, candidates subjected to such conditions may experience distress and lose valuable examination time, thereby placing them at a disadvantage compared to others.

MURIC, however, acknowledged prior statements by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which clarified that hijab discrimination is not part of its official examination guidelines.

Despite this, the organisation expressed concern that some examination officials and centre operators continue to enforce unauthorized dress restrictions.

The group further criticised authorities in the South-West region, accusing state governments of failing to enforce court rulings that uphold the rights of Muslim female students to wear hijab in public institutions.

MURIC warned that continued neglect of such issues could heighten tensions and called for accountability.

It demanded sanctions against officials found culpable and insisted that affected centres should be removed from JAMB’s list of approved facilities.

The organisation also disclosed plans to compile a list of alleged violators of religious freedom for submission to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the United Nations.