diff --git a/src/core/it_q.c b/src/core/it_q.c
index a3ff420..810dc90 100644
--- a/src/core/it_q.c
+++ b/src/core/it_q.c
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@
 
 /*! Thread-safe de-queue from an inter-thread message queue.
  *  \param[in] queue Inter-thread queue from which to dequeue
- *  \returns dequeued message buffer; NULL if none available
+ *  \returns llist_head of dequeued message; NULL if none available
  */
 struct llist_head *_osmo_it_q_dequeue(struct osmo_it_q *queue)
 {
@@ -254,12 +254,9 @@
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&queue->mutex);
 
-	if (llist_empty(&queue->list))
-		l = NULL;
-	l = queue->list.next;
-	OSMO_ASSERT(l);
-	llist_del(l);
-	queue->current_length--;
+	l = item_dequeue(&queue->list);
+	if (l != NULL)
+		queue->current_length--;
 
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&queue->mutex);
 
diff --git a/tests/it_q/it_q_test.c b/tests/it_q/it_q_test.c
index 9545183..6025e39 100644
--- a/tests/it_q/it_q_test.c
+++ b/tests/it_q/it_q_test.c
@@ -81,11 +81,9 @@
 	q1 = osmo_it_q_alloc(OTC_GLOBAL, "q1", 12, NULL, NULL);
 	OSMO_ASSERT(q1);
 
-#if 0
 	printf("try dequeueing from an empty queue\n");
 	osmo_it_q_dequeue(q1, &item, list);
 	OSMO_ASSERT(item == NULL);
-#endif
 
 	printf("adding queue entries up to the limit\n");
 	for (unsigned int i = 0; i < qlen; i++) {
@@ -101,11 +99,9 @@
 		talloc_free(item);
 	}
 
-#if 0
 	printf("try dequeueing from an empty queue\n");
 	osmo_it_q_dequeue(q1, &item, list);
 	OSMO_ASSERT(item == NULL);
-#endif
 
 	osmo_it_q_destroy(q1);
 }
diff --git a/tests/it_q/it_q_test.ok b/tests/it_q/it_q_test.ok
index 91ba0ce..e89b78d 100644
--- a/tests/it_q/it_q_test.ok
+++ b/tests/it_q/it_q_test.ok
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@
 
 == Entering test case tc_enqueue_dequeue
 allocating q1
+try dequeueing from an empty queue
 adding queue entries up to the limit
 removing queue entries up to the limit
+try dequeueing from an empty queue
 
 == Entering test case tc_eventfd
 allocating q1