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Gunmen have abducted in excess of 300 pupils and educators in one of the most significant mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian experience, according to a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Emergency in School Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just a short time after armed men attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier reports had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but updated figures surfaced after a comprehensive assessment confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

Local officials have announced that intelligence departments and police are presently conducting a thorough assessment to verify the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the increasing safety fears, the state government has ordered the shutting of all schools in the region, with neighboring states following comparable preventive measures.

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

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

Recent Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of security incidents that have shaken the country, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and seized many worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious organizations, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

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

The local Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their children from schools following the shutdown order.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the scale of the abduction, asking how 300 children could be abducted at once.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to curb insecurity," and expressed support for international intervention to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs seeking ransom payments often target schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

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

Although these bandits have no political motives and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of concern for officials and experts alike.