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Gunmen have seized over 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the most significant mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian experience, 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 happened just a short time after armed men stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 individuals were seized, but revised numbers were released after a detailed assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

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

Government Response and Security Measures

State officials have confirmed that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently conducting a thorough census to verify the precise number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of all schools in the region, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary measures.

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

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

Recent Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a series of safety incidents that have rocked the country, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and seized numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip circulated by Christian groups, a distraught employee recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and cars before hearing "violent banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the witness stated, recounting her fear while searching for access to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants acted aggressively and without interruption for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Public Response and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from educational institutions following the shutdown directive.

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

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to curb the security crisis," and expressed support for international intervention to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

These groups maintain bases in vast woodland areas straddling multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major cause of worry for officials and security analysts alike.