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Armed attackers have kidnapped in excess of 300 students and teachers in one of the most significant collective seizures in modern Nigerian experience, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in School Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria happened just a short time after gunmen invaded a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

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

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

Government Response and Safety Measures

Local authorities have stated that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are presently conducting a thorough assessment to establish the exact number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security concerns, the local authorities has mandated the shutting of all schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting comparable preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the emergency.

Latest Security Incidents

The school kidnappings constitute the most recent in a sequence of security breaches that have rocked the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and abducted dozens congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the memory of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

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

"Students were weeping," the staff member stated, recounting her terror while searching for keys to the area where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "attackers acted violently and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be abducted simultaneously.

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

Continuing Security Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation often attack schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

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

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.