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Gunmen have kidnapped over 300 students and teachers in what is considered the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian times, according to a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Facilities

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after gunmen invaded a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers were released after a thorough verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The abducted children, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's total student body of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Measures

Local officials have announced that security agencies and law enforcement are presently conducting a comprehensive census to establish the precise number of missing individuals.

In response to the increasing security fears, the state government has directed the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following similar precautionary steps.

Additionally, the national education ministry has ordered the provisional shutting 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 handling the situation.

Latest Security Events

The school kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and seized many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the background of global focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing video clip circulated by religious organizations, a upset school staff member described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before hearing "violent banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness said, recounting her panic while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from educational institutions following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 children could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to address insecurity," and expressed support for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent incidents, criminal groups demanding financial compensation often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in vast forest areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.