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Armed attackers have abducted more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian history, according to a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just days after armed men attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Initial reports had stated 227 individuals were seized, but updated figures were released after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The taken pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's total student body of 629.

Official Response and Safety Measures

State authorities have stated that intelligence departments and police are currently conducting a comprehensive head count to verify the exact number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has ordered the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states adopting comparable preventive measures.

Furthermore, the national education department has ordered the provisional shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the emergency.

Recent Security Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the most recent in a series of security breaches that have rocked the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and seized dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of international focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Context

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning recording circulated by Christian groups, a distraught worker recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the compound.

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

The local Catholic authority stated that the "assailants operated violently and without interruption for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from educational institutions following the shutdown directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Security Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings for money in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently target schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no political motives and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a major source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.