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Gunmen have abducted over 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on the weekend.

Growing Crisis in School Institutions

The Friday morning attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after armed men invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but revised figures were released after a detailed verification exercise determined that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Security Actions

Local officials have confirmed that security departments and police are presently performing a comprehensive assessment to determine the precise number of missing people.

In response to the growing security concerns, the state government has directed the shutting of every schools in the state, with nearby states adopting similar precautionary actions.

Additionally, the national education ministry has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the crisis.

Recent Violent Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of safety breaches that have rocked the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Past Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning recording circulated by Christian groups, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on various entrances of the compound.

"Children were screaming," the staff member said, recounting her terror while looking for keys to the area where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic authority stated that the "assailants acted violently and without interruption for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

One mother, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her shock at the scale of the abduction, asking how 300 children could be taken at once.

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for international assistance to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Security Challenges

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often target schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive forest areas straddling several states in western Nigeria.

While these criminals have no political motives and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.