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Gunmen have abducted in excess of 300 students and teachers in one of the most significant collective seizures in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Facilities

The early Friday raid on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state happened just a short time after gunmen attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers surfaced after a thorough counting process determined that 303 students and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Response and Safety Actions

State officials have confirmed that security agencies and law enforcement are currently conducting a thorough head count to determine the precise number of missing people.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the state government has directed the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary measures.

Additionally, the national education department has directed the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools throughout the country.

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

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the latest in a sequence of safety incidents that have rocked the country, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and seized numerous congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian organizations, a upset worker described hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the witness stated, describing her fear while searching for keys to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers operated violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were picking up their children from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

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

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to curb insecurity," and expressed support for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

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

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.