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Armed attackers have seized in excess of 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the biggest group abductions in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Institutions

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

Initial accounts had suggested 227 victims were seized, but revised figures emerged after a detailed assessment determined that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The abducted students, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

State officials have stated that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a thorough head count to establish the exact number of abducted people.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the local authorities has directed the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states adopting comparable precautionary measures.

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

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

Recent Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of safety incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and abducted numerous congregation members during a online broadcast service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of international focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by religious groups, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of bikes and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Children were screaming," the witness reported, describing her fear while looking for keys to the section where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants operated aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Fears

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

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be taken at once.

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to address the security crisis," and expressed support for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation frequently target schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive forest areas straddling several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.