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Armed attackers have abducted in excess of 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the most significant mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, according to a religious organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just a short time after gunmen stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 individuals were taken, but revised numbers emerged after a thorough assessment determined that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped children, aged between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Official Response and Security Measures

State officials have announced that security departments and law enforcement are currently performing a comprehensive head count to establish the precise number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the increasing safety concerns, the state government has mandated the shutting of all schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary actions.

Additionally, the federal education ministry has directed the provisional shutting of 47 residential high schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the emergency.

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of safety breaches that have rocked the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized many worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These events have taken place against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by religious organizations, a frightened school staff member described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Students were screaming," the staff member reported, describing her fear while searching for access to the area where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants operated aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were collecting their children from educational institutions following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her disbelief at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for external intervention to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

These groups maintain bases in extensive forest areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are primarily driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and experts alike.