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Armed attackers have kidnapped in excess of 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the biggest collective seizures in modern Nigerian times, as stated by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state occurred just days after gunmen stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Initial accounts had suggested 227 individuals were seized, but updated figures surfaced after a detailed verification exercise confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped students, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Actions

Local officials have announced that security departments and law enforcement are currently performing a comprehensive assessment to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has directed the closure of every schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar preventive actions.

Additionally, the federal education department has directed the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

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

Recent Security Events

The school abductions represent the latest in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and seized many congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of international attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by Christian groups, a upset school staff member described hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Children were crying," the witness said, recounting her fear while searching for access to the area where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "assailants operated aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

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

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the scale of the abduction, asking how 300 children could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to curb the security crisis," and expressed support for external assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent incidents, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a major source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.