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Armed attackers have kidnapped over 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the largest group abductions in recent Nigerian experience, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state occurred just days after gunmen stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

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

The abducted pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Actions

Local authorities have announced that security agencies and law enforcement are currently conducting a thorough head count to establish the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security fears, the local authorities has ordered the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar precautionary steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the situation.

Latest Security Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and abducted many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

These events have taken place against the background of international attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Background

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the memory of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian groups, a distraught employee described hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the staff member stated, recounting her panic while looking for keys to the section where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "assailants acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

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

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

Ongoing Security Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking ransom payments often attack schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

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

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.