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Armed attackers have kidnapped over 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian history, according to a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The early Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just a short time after gunmen invaded a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but new numbers emerged after a comprehensive assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The kidnapped pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, account for nearly 50 percent of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Government Response and Security Actions

State officials have announced that security agencies and police are presently performing a comprehensive head count to determine the precise number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has ordered the shutting of every schools in the region, with nearby states following comparable preventive actions.

Additionally, the national education ministry has ordered the provisional closure 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.

Latest Security Events

The school kidnappings represent the latest in a series of safety breaches that have rocked the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of global attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian groups, a distraught school staff member described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were weeping," the witness said, describing her terror while searching for keys to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "assailants acted aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the closure order.

One mother, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her shock at the scale of the abduction, asking how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to curb the security crisis," and voiced approval for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where protection is inadequate.

These groups maintain bases in vast forest areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for authorities and experts alike.