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

Growing Crisis in School Institutions

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after armed men attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but updated figures surfaced after a thorough verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Safety Actions

Local officials have stated that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive assessment to verify the exact number of abducted people.

In response to the increasing safety fears, the state government has directed the shutting of every schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar precautionary measures.

Additionally, the national education ministry has ordered the provisional shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on managing the emergency.

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution abductions constitute the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of global attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy 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 missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by Christian groups, a frightened worker recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Children were crying," the staff member stated, recounting her terror while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

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

Public Response and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned parents were picking up their children from schools following the closure directive.

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

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and voiced support for international assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain bases in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these bandits have no political motives and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and security analysts alike.