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Armed attackers have seized over 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the most significant collective seizures in recent Nigerian times, according to a religious organization on the weekend.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just a short time after gunmen attacked a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Initial reports had indicated 227 victims were taken, but new figures emerged after a thorough counting process confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been abducted.

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

Official Reaction and Safety Measures

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

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting comparable preventive measures.

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

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

Latest Security Events

The educational institution abductions represent the most recent in a sequence of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and abducted numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the background of global focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Accounts

In a disturbing video clip shared by religious groups, a upset employee recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Children were screaming," the witness stated, describing her terror while searching for keys to the area where the crying was most intense.

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

Public Reaction and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were collecting their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 students could be abducted at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and expressed support for international intervention to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Security Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments often attack schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive forest areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.