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Gunmen have seized more than 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the most significant mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian times, 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 days after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but updated figures surfaced after a detailed assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Security Measures

State authorities have announced that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive head count to verify the precise number of abducted people.

In response to the increasing security fears, the state government has ordered the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states following similar precautionary steps.

Furthermore, the national education ministry has ordered the provisional closure of 47 residential high schools throughout the country.

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

Recent Security Events

The school abductions constitute the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria continues to be scarred 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.

Firsthand Accounts

In a disturbing recording circulated by religious organizations, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Children were weeping," the staff member said, recounting her panic while searching for access to the section 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

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

One mother, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 students could be abducted at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to curb insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While no group has taken credit for the recent incidents, criminal groups demanding financial compensation often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain bases in extensive woodland areas straddling multiple states in western Nigeria.

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of worry for officials and experts alike.