Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore is calling for the immediate resignation and prosecution of Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), following the tragic death of 19-year-old UTME candidate Timilehin Faith Opesusi.
Opesusi took her own life after receiving a score of 190 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, only to receive a provisional admission notification 30 minutes after her death, sparking widespread outrage.
Sowore condemned JAMB’s “egregious errors” and described Oloyede’s public apology and emotional breakdown as “crocodile tears”. “The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board bears responsibility for the organization’s egregious errors, which have devastatingly claimed a young life,” Sowore said. “Shedding crocodile tears is not a remedy for these infractions.
As a first step, he should resign, followed by a thorough investigation and possible prosecution for manslaughter. Moreover, JAMB must be scrapped.”
This demand is supported by others, including Dr. Christian Okeke, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, who believes Oloyede’s apology and tears are insufficient.
Okeke argues that the JAMB registrar should resign and allow the federal government to reposition the board for effective service delivery.
JAMB has acknowledged technical errors in the 2025 UTME, affecting over 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the South-East states, and has rescheduled the exam for these candidates.
Oloyede has taken full responsibility for the lapses and apologized for the trauma caused to affected candidates.
