NSCDC Arrests 10 Adamawa School Leavers Over Banned ‘Signed Out’ Celebration

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 10 secondary school graduates in Adamawa State for allegedly participating in the banned end-of-school celebration, popularly known as “Signed Out.”

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Nyako Amidu Baba, announced their arrests in a statement issued on Friday.

According to the statement, operatives of the NSCDC Safe School Response Squad acted on credible intelligence linking students from Capital School, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Demsawo, Doubelli and Damilu to activities deemed capable of causing public disorder.

The suspects were alleged to have engaged in acts including painting their bodies, tearing their school uniforms, fighting on public roads and other conduct considered a threat to public peace.

Baba noted that the “Signed Out” celebration has become a growing source of concern for parents, school authorities and the general public, prompting the Adamawa State Ministry of Education to ban the practice last year.

“The trend, which has increasingly become a source of concern to parents, school authorities and the general public, had earlier attracted the attention of the Adamawa State Government, which, through the State Ministry of Education, issued a directive against the practice last year,” he said.

The command further alleged that this year’s celebration took a more troubling turn, with reports that some participants disguised themselves in suspicious outfits and robbed members of the public of mobile phones and other valuables.

According to the NSCDC, preliminary investigations revealed that one of the suspects arrested while wearing a school uniform was not a student, while some of those apprehended were in SS1 and SS2 rather than being final-year students.

“In the course of the operation, one of the persons arrested was found wearing a school uniform but was reportedly not a student. The command also discovered that some of those arrested were not final-year students, as initially presumed, but were still in SS1 and SS2,” Baba stated.

The State Commandant, CC Nasiru Saleh, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to identify all those involved and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

Saleh reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to preventing activities capable of disrupting academic programmes, threatening public safety or endangering students and residents.

He also directed the Safe School Response Squad to strengthen collaboration with school authorities and other stakeholders to improve preventive measures and maintain a safe learning environment.

The command said it is working with the affected schools to verify the identities of all students and other individuals linked to the incident.

The Adamawa State Ministry of Education prohibited the “Signed Out” celebration in 2025 following concerns over violence, public disorder and other misconduct associated with end-of-school festivities. Authorities have since warned schools and students against participating in the practice, citing the need to safeguard public safety and protect students.