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Gunmen have kidnapped in excess of 300 students and teachers in one of the biggest collective seizures in recent Nigerian history, as stated by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Crisis in School Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just days after armed men stormed a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Earlier reports had indicated 227 victims were taken, but updated figures emerged after a comprehensive counting process determined that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The taken pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's overall student population of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Measures

State officials have confirmed that intelligence agencies and police are presently conducting a thorough head count to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing safety fears, the state government has ordered the closure of every schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive actions.

Furthermore, the federal education ministry has ordered the provisional closure of 47 residential high schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the crisis.

Recent Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and abducted numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have taken place against the background of international focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip shared by Christian organizations, a frightened worker recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Students were screaming," the witness said, describing her panic while searching for keys to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers operated aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned parents were picking up their children from schools following the closure 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 "government is failing to act to combat insecurity," and voiced support for international assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Security Issues

For a long time, heavily armed criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in vast forest areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.