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Armed attackers have seized more than 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 the weekend.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state happened just a short time after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 young women.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 victims were taken, but revised figures were released after a thorough assessment confirmed that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The taken pupils, aged between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

Local officials have announced that intelligence departments and police are currently performing a comprehensive head count to establish the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the state government has mandated the closure of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following similar preventive actions.

Additionally, the federal education department has directed the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the crisis.

Recent Security Events

The school kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and seized numerous congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

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

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by Christian groups, a distraught worker described hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Students were screaming," the staff member said, recounting her panic while looking for access to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The local Catholic authority stated that the "assailants acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from schools following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her disbelief at the magnitude of the abduction, asking how 300 students could be taken simultaneously.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat the security crisis," and voiced approval for international assistance to "resolve this situation."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation often target schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

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

While these criminals have no political motives and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.