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Armed attackers have abducted over 300 students and teachers in one of the biggest collective seizures in recent Nigerian history, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just days after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers were released after a detailed verification exercise confirmed that 303 students and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The kidnapped students, ranging between eight and 18 years, account for nearly 50 percent of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Measures

Local authorities have announced that intelligence departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the increasing safety concerns, the state government has mandated the shutting of every schools in the state, with nearby states adopting comparable precautionary actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the crisis.

Latest Violent Incidents

The school abductions represent the latest in a sequence of safety breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian groups, a distraught worker recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, recounting her panic while looking for access to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants acted violently and without interruption for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be taken simultaneously.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to address insecurity," and voiced approval for external intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs seeking ransom payments frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

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

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a major cause of concern for officials and experts alike.