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Armed attackers have kidnapped over 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state happened just days after armed men stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Initial reports had suggested 227 individuals were seized, but revised numbers emerged after a detailed counting process established that 303 students and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The abducted children, ranging between eight and 18 years, account for nearly half of the school's total student population of 629.

Official Reaction and Safety Actions

Local authorities have confirmed that intelligence departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive head count to determine the exact number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security concerns, the state government has directed the closure of every schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar preventive actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the crisis.

Latest Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of security incidents that have rocked the country, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two individuals and abducted dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian groups, a frightened school staff member described hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the witness reported, describing her terror while looking for access to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "assailants acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Response and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were picking up their children from schools following the shutdown directive.

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

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to address the security crisis," and expressed approval for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Issues

For a long time, heavily armed criminal gangs have been conducting killings and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northern and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

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

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for officials and security analysts alike.