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Armed attackers have abducted in excess of 300 students and teachers in what is considered the biggest collective seizures in modern Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just days after armed men attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers surfaced after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 students and 12 educators had been abducted.

The abducted pupils, aged between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's overall student body of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Measures

Local authorities have stated that security agencies and law enforcement are presently performing a comprehensive census to verify the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the increasing security concerns, the local authorities has directed the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states following similar precautionary actions.

Additionally, the federal education department has ordered the temporary closure of 47 residential high schools across the country.

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

Latest Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the latest in a series of safety incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two individuals and seized many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

These events have taken place against the backdrop of global focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the mass abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by Christian groups, a distraught worker described hearing the sounds of bikes and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Children were screaming," the staff member reported, recounting her terror while searching for access to the section where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants operated aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their children from schools following the shutdown order.

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

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and voiced approval for external intervention to "resolve this situation."

Continuing Security Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out killings and abductions for money in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has taken credit for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often target schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by financial gain, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a major source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.