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Armed attackers have kidnapped over 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian times, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria occurred just days after gunmen stormed a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but new numbers were released after a comprehensive verification exercise confirmed that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The taken students, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's overall student body of 629.

Government Response and Security Measures

Local authorities have stated that security departments and law enforcement are currently performing a thorough assessment to determine the precise number of abducted people.

In response to the increasing safety concerns, the local authorities has directed the shutting of all schools in the region, with neighboring states following similar precautionary actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the emergency.

Recent Violent Incidents

The school abductions constitute the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the country, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and abducted numerous congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria remains traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian organizations, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on various gates of the compound.

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

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants operated violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were collecting their students from schools following the closure order.

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

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to address the security crisis," and voiced support for international assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in remote areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest incidents, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation often attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no political motives and are primarily driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the north-east has become a major source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.