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Gunmen have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in one of the most significant group abductions in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just days after armed men invaded a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Initial reports had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers were released after a thorough counting process established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Government Response and Security Measures

State authorities have confirmed that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a thorough census to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the increasing safety concerns, the local authorities has directed the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting comparable preventive measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution abductions constitute the most recent in a series of security breaches that have rocked the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and abducted many congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of global focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing recording shared by religious groups, a upset school staff member described hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the compound.

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

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "attackers acted violently and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Response and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

One mother, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be abducted at once.

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

Continuing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where protection is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in vast woodland areas straddling multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no political motives and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of worry for authorities and security analysts alike.