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Gunmen have seized over 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the most significant mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in Educational Facilities

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just a short time after gunmen attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but revised figures surfaced after a thorough assessment confirmed that 303 students and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Government Response and Safety Actions

Local authorities have announced that security departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive census to establish the exact number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of every schools in the region, with nearby states following similar precautionary steps.

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

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

Latest Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and abducted many worshipers during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian groups, a frightened worker recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the staff member stated, recounting her fear while looking for keys to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The local Catholic authority stated that the "attackers acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Response and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned parents were collecting their students from schools following the closure order.

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

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and voiced approval for external intervention to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Security Challenges

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out murders and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no political motives and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of concern for authorities and experts alike.