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Gunmen have seized in excess of 300 schoolchildren and staff in what appears to be the biggest group abductions in modern Nigerian experience, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Facilities

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state came just days after armed men stormed a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Initial reports had stated 227 victims were taken, but new numbers surfaced after a comprehensive verification exercise confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Security Actions

Local officials have stated that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently performing a thorough head count to verify the precise number of abducted people.

In response to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has ordered the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states adopting comparable preventive actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the situation.

Latest Violent Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the latest in a series of security incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian organizations, a distraught worker recounted hearing the noise of bikes and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the staff member reported, describing her terror while looking for access to the section where the crying was loudest.

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

Public Reaction and Fears

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 nurse, voiced her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be abducted at once.

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to curb the security crisis," and voiced approval for international assistance to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Safety Challenges

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and abductions for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often target schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

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

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major cause of concern for authorities and experts alike.