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Armed attackers have seized more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the most significant mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian history, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just a short time after armed men stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but revised numbers emerged after a thorough assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The taken children, ranging between eight and 18 years, account for nearly half of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Official Response and Safety Measures

Local authorities have stated that security agencies and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing safety concerns, the state government has ordered the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary actions.

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

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

Latest Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a series of security breaches that have rocked the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized many congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Context

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the large-scale kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian organizations, a upset school staff member described hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before hearing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Students were crying," the staff member said, describing her panic while looking for keys to the area where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants acted aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Fears

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

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

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for international intervention to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Security Challenges

For years, heavily armed criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

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

Although these bandits have no political motives and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of worry for authorities and security analysts alike.