In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Opesusi Faith Timilehin, a 19-year-old UTME candidate, reportedly took her own life in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos State, after scoring 190 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Originally from Abeokuta, Faith had been living with her elder sister in Ikorodu in pursuit of her educational dreams. According to neighbours and family members, she was described as a calm, respectful, and determined young lady who had high hopes of gaining admission into the university to study Microbiology.
However, after checking her UTME score and seeing a 190, which she reportedly said was lower than her 2024 result, Faith became deeply disappointed and discouraged.
“She said her last year’s result was better than this year’s,” a close friend revealed in a phone interview with News Central.
According to reports, she ingested a substance locally known as “Push Out”, a rodent poison. Moments later, she visited her sister’s office and asked for palm oil—a common emergency treatment for poisoning. Initially unaware of the gravity of the situation, her sister didn’t act swiftly until Faith’s condition began to deteriorate rapidly.
As her health worsened, she was rushed to Kolak Hospital, Odogunyan. On the way, she reportedly confessed to having consumed poison earlier at home. Despite efforts to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
In a cruel twist of fate, just 30 minutes after her death, a provisional admission message from JAMB arrived in her Gmail inbox, stating that she had been offered admission.
“The shocking revelation is that she was given an admission message via her Gmail yesterday, immediately after she was confirmed dead,” a family source lamented.
Her devastated parents, upon receiving the news, travelled from Abeokuta and took her remains back home for burial.
This Tragedy Is a Wake-Up Call
Faith’s death is a stark reminder of the unseen emotional pressures Nigerian students face during the admission process. Academic disappointments can feel like the end of the world for many young minds, especially when expectations are high.
Mental health support, open communication, and awareness are desperately needed in our society. No result, no score, no setback is ever worth a life.
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, please reach out for help. There is hope, and support is available.
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