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Armed attackers have seized more than 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the most significant group abductions in recent Nigerian history, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday raid on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria happened just a short time after gunmen invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers emerged after a thorough counting process determined that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

The taken pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's overall student body of 629.

Official Response and Safety Actions

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

In response to the growing security concerns, the state government has directed the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states following similar preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Recent Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a series of safety breaches that have shaken the country, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory 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.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing video clip circulated by religious groups, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the staff member reported, describing her fear while searching for access to the area where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers operated aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to curb insecurity," and voiced approval for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Safety Issues

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

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation often attack schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in vast woodland areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of worry for authorities and experts alike.