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Gunmen have seized more than 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the largest group abductions in recent Nigerian history, as reported by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state came just a short time after armed men attacked a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers emerged after a comprehensive counting process confirmed that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

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

Government Reaction and Security Actions

Local authorities have stated that intelligence agencies and police are currently conducting a thorough census to establish the precise number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security concerns, the state government has mandated the shutting of all schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar precautionary steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the situation.

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution abductions represent the most recent in a sequence of safety breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and seized many congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious groups, a upset employee described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before hearing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Students were screaming," the witness stated, describing her fear while looking for access to the section where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers acted aggressively and without interruption for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were collecting their children from educational institutions following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her shock at the magnitude of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be abducted at once.

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

Continuing Security Issues

For a long time, heavily armed criminal gangs have been carrying out killings and abductions for money in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

These groups maintain bases in extensive woodland areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are primarily driven by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a major cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.