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Armed attackers have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in what is considered the largest group abductions in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The early Friday assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just a short time after armed men stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Initial reports had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but new figures surfaced after a detailed assessment confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped children, aged between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Actions

Local authorities have announced that security agencies and police are presently performing a thorough head count to verify the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the state government has directed the closure of all schools in the state, with neighboring states following similar preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the emergency.

Latest Violent Events

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized dozens worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of global focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by religious groups, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Children were screaming," the witness said, describing her fear while looking for keys to the area where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers operated violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Response and Concerns

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

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 children could be abducted at once.

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to combat the security crisis," and voiced support for international intervention to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Security Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for money in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments often attack schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in vast forest areas straddling several states in western Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.