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Armed attackers have seized over 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the biggest mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian experience, as stated by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just days after armed men stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 young women.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers surfaced after a detailed verification exercise determined that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped children, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's total student body of 629.

Government Response and Safety Actions

State officials have confirmed that security departments and police are currently performing a thorough head count to establish the exact number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has ordered the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive actions.

Furthermore, the federal education ministry has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools across the country.

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

Latest Security Events

The school abductions represent the most recent in a series of security incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and seized dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the large-scale kidnapping of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian organizations, a upset worker described hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on various gates of the school premises.

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

The local Catholic authority confirmed 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 periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their children from schools following the closure directive.

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

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to address the security crisis," and expressed support for international intervention to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often target schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive forest areas straddling several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.