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Gunmen have abducted more than 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the biggest group abductions in recent Nigerian times, as stated by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria occurred just a short time after gunmen attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 victims were taken, but new figures emerged after a detailed verification exercise confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

The abducted pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's total student population of 629.

Official Response and Safety Measures

Local officials have announced that security departments and police are currently performing a comprehensive head count to verify the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security fears, the state government has ordered the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states following similar preventive measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the emergency.

Latest Security Incidents

The school abductions represent the most recent in a sequence of safety incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Accounts

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian organizations, a upset worker described hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Children were crying," the witness reported, recounting her fear while searching for keys to the section where the screaming was loudest.

The local Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants acted aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their children from schools following the closure directive.

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be taken at once.

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to address insecurity," and voiced approval for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in vast woodland areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major cause of worry for officials and security analysts alike.