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Armed attackers have seized more than 300 students and teachers in what is considered the most significant group abductions in modern Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria occurred just days after armed men stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 young women.

Initial reports had indicated 227 victims were seized, but new numbers surfaced after a thorough verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

Local authorities have stated that intelligence agencies and police are currently performing a thorough head count to establish the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing safety fears, the state government has directed the closure of all schools in the state, with nearby states adopting similar preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the emergency.

Recent Violent Events

The school abductions constitute the most recent in a sequence of safety incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and abducted many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have taken place against the background of international focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Background

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

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian organizations, a frightened employee recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Students were screaming," the staff member said, recounting her terror while searching for access to the section where the screaming was most intense.

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

Public Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned parents were picking up their students from educational institutions following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 children could be taken at once.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to combat insecurity," and expressed support for external assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Security Issues

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments often target schools in rural areas where protection is inadequate.

These gangs maintain camps in vast forest areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.