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Gunmen have abducted more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, as stated by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Institutions

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after gunmen invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Initial reports had stated 227 victims were seized, but revised numbers emerged after a detailed counting process established that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped students, aged between eight and 18 years, account for nearly half of the school's total student population of 629.

Government Response and Security Actions

Local officials have announced that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently conducting a thorough head count to establish the precise number of missing people.

In response to the growing security fears, the state government has directed the shutting of all schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting similar precautionary actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Recent Security Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have rocked the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and abducted many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the memory of the large-scale kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian organizations, a upset school staff member described hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "violent banging" on various entrances of the compound.

"Students were screaming," the staff member stated, recounting her fear while searching for access to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed 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, concerned parents were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown order.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the abduction, asking how 300 students could be taken simultaneously.

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for international assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain bases in vast woodland areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a major source of concern for authorities and experts alike.