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Gunmen have seized more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state occurred just a short time after gunmen invaded a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers emerged after a detailed assessment confirmed that 303 students and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Security Measures

State officials have stated that security departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive head count to determine the exact number of abducted people.

In response to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has directed the closure of all schools in the state, with neighboring states following similar precautionary actions.

Furthermore, the federal education ministry has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the emergency.

Latest Violent Events

The school abductions constitute the latest in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale kidnapping of nearly 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by religious groups, a distraught employee recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were weeping," the witness reported, recounting her panic while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers operated violently and without interruption for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their students from educational institutions following the closure order.

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

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to combat insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Security Issues

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

While nobody has taken credit for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often attack schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in vast woodland areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no political motives and are primarily driven by financial gain, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a major cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.