NSCDC arrests 10 students over banned 'Signed Out' celebration in Adamawa

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 10 secondary school graduates in Adamawa State for their alleged involvement in the banned "Signed Out" celebration. The final-year students were reportedly engaged in activities like body painting, tearing uniforms, and street fighting, which the state's Ministry of Education banned last year due to public nuisance concerns.

Operatives of the NSCDC Safe School Response Squad acted on intelligence linking students from several schools to the disruptive celebrations. The command noted that this year's festivities allegedly escalated, with some participants reportedly disguising themselves and robbing members of the public. Preliminary findings also indicated that some arrested individuals were not graduating students but were still in SS1 and SS2, and one person in a school uniform was not a student.

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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.

The State Commandant, CC Nasiru Saleh, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to identify all involved parties and understand the full circumstances. He reiterated the Corps' commitment to preventing activities that could disrupt academic programs or threaten public safety. The NSCDC is collaborating with affected schools to verify student identities and strengthen preventive measures for a secure learning environment.

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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.