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Gunmen have kidnapped over 300 schoolchildren and staff in what appears to be the largest collective seizures in modern Nigerian history, according to a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state happened just a short time after armed men invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 young women.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but revised figures emerged after a comprehensive verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The abducted pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's overall student population of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Actions

State officials have stated that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive census to verify the precise number of missing people.

In response to the increasing security concerns, the state government has mandated the closure of every schools in the state, with nearby states adopting similar preventive actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled overseas commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the situation.

Latest Violent Incidents

The school kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of safety incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a concerning recording circulated by Christian groups, a distraught school staff member described hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, describing her fear while searching for access to the section where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers operated violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the abduction, questioning how 300 children could be taken simultaneously.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to address insecurity," and voiced approval for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Issues

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out murders and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

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

Although these bandits have no political motives and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of concern for authorities and experts alike.