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Armed attackers have seized in excess of 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the biggest collective seizures in modern Nigerian times, according to a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in Educational Facilities

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after armed men attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 victims were taken, but updated figures surfaced after a thorough counting process determined that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The kidnapped children, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Safety Measures

State authorities have announced that security agencies and law enforcement are currently performing a comprehensive census to determine the exact number of missing people.

In response to the increasing security fears, the state government has mandated the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive steps.

Additionally, the national education department has directed the provisional shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

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

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution abductions represent the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized dozens worshipers during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning recording shared by religious groups, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, describing her panic while searching for keys to the section where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers operated aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Concerns

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

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be taken at once.

She stated that the "authorities is failing to act to curb insecurity," and voiced support for external intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For years, heavily armed criminal gangs have been conducting killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments often attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

These gangs maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.