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Gunmen have seized over 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the most significant mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian times, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The early Friday raid on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state occurred just a short time after armed men invaded a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Initial accounts had stated 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers were released after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Reaction and Security Measures

Local authorities have stated that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are presently conducting a comprehensive head count to determine the precise number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar precautionary measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the situation.

Recent Violent Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of safety breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and abducted numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning recording circulated by religious groups, a frightened school staff member recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness reported, describing her fear while searching for keys to the section where the crying was loudest.

The local Catholic diocese stated that the "attackers acted violently and without interruption for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from schools following the shutdown order.

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

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Security Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has taken credit for the latest incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in vast forest areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

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