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Gunmen have abducted more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the biggest collective seizures in recent Nigerian experience, according to a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just days after armed men invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier reports had stated 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers emerged after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 students and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The taken children, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Official Reaction and Safety Actions

Local authorities have confirmed that security agencies and law enforcement are presently performing a comprehensive census to verify the precise number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has mandated the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states following similar precautionary measures.

Furthermore, the federal education department has directed the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the crisis.

Latest Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the latest in a sequence of safety incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and abducted many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning recording shared by Christian organizations, a frightened worker described hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the witness stated, recounting her fear while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers acted aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

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

She concluded that the "government is not doing enough to curb insecurity," and voiced approval for international intervention to "resolve this situation."

Continuing Security Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northern and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest incidents, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation often attack schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for officials and experts alike.