In a heartbreaking turn of events, 19-year-old Opesusi Faith Timilehin, a young woman from Abeokuta residing in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, tragically took her own life on Monday after reportedly becoming distraught over her score in the recently released 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.
Timilehin, who had aspired to study Microbiology at the university level, reportedly ingested a rodenticide known as ‘Push Out’ following what she believed was a disappointing result. She scored 190—lower than her 2024 performance, according to family sources.
Those who knew her described Timilehin as a gentle, respectful young woman with a quiet determination. She had been staying with her elder sister in Ikorodu, where the incident unfolded.
According to a close family source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Timilehin appeared visibly troubled after the results were released. Her distress took a darker turn when, at her sister’s workplace, she suddenly requested palm oil—a common emergency remedy for poisoning—complaining of severe stomach discomfort.
Initially unaware of the gravity of the situation, her sister reportedly dismissed the request until the girl collapsed, prompting panic among onlookers. Sympathisers quickly gathered, and Timilehin was rushed to Kolak Hospital in Odogunyan.
On the way to the hospital, the teenager allegedly confessed that she had consumed poison at home before heading to her sister’s office. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
In a cruel twist of fate, just 30 minutes after her passing, an email arrived in her inbox from JAMB notifying her of a "provisional admission" offer to a tertiary institution—an opportunity she had desperately hoped for.
“The timing was devastating,” a neighbour said. “To think that she died not knowing her dream had just come true... it’s a tragedy that words can’t explain.”
The news sent shockwaves through the Odogunyan community, where neighbours and local residents gathered in mourning. Many expressed anger and sadness, directing their frustrations at the examination body and the immense pressure placed on young Nigerians to achieve near-perfect academic results.
When Timilehin’s parents arrived from Abeokuta to retrieve her remains, grief quickly turned into outrage among the locals. Some residents were seen cursing the system that they believe contributed to her despair.
This tragic incident has once again ignited a national conversation about the mental health crisis among students in Nigeria, the pressure of academic expectations, and the urgent need for emotional support structures within the education system.
