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 known as “Signed Out.”
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the NSCDC Safe School Response Squad following credible intelligence linking students from Capital School, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Demsawo, Doubelli and Damilu to activities considered a threat to public peace.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Nyako Amidu Baba, said the suspects were allegedly involved in acts including painting their bodies, tearing school uniforms, fighting on public streets and engaging in other forms of disorderly conduct.
According to Baba, the “Signed Out” celebration has become a growing concern for parents, school authorities and the general public, prompting the Adamawa State Ministry of Education to prohibit the practice in 2025.
He disclosed that this year’s celebration reportedly escalated beyond misconduct, with allegations that some participants disguised themselves in suspicious outfits and robbed members of the public of mobile phones and other valuables.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that one of the suspects arrested in a school uniform was not a student, while some others were identified as SS1 and SS2 students rather than graduating students.
“The command discovered that one of the persons arrested while wearing a school uniform was not a student. It also found that some of those apprehended were not final-year students as initially believed but were still in SS1 and SS2,” Baba stated.
The Adamawa State Commandant of the NSCDC, CC Nasiru Saleh, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to identify all individuals involved and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Saleh reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to curbing 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 enhance preventive measures and maintain a safe learning environment.
The NSCDC said it is working closely with the affected schools to verify the identities of all students and other individuals linked to the incident as investigations continue.
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