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Gunmen have kidnapped over 300 pupils and educators in one of the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian experience, as stated by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

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

Initial accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers emerged after a detailed assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Government Response and Safety Actions

State authorities have announced that intelligence departments and law enforcement are currently performing a comprehensive head count to verify the exact number of abducted people.

In response to the growing security fears, the local authorities has mandated the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary measures.

Furthermore, the national education department has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Recent Security Incidents

The school kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of security incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and abducted dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of international focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by religious organizations, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the witness reported, describing her fear while searching for keys to the area where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers operated aggressively and without interruption for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were collecting their students from schools following the closure order.

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

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to curb insecurity," and voiced support for external intervention to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and abductions for money in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These gangs maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and security analysts alike.