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Gunmen have seized more than 300 pupils and educators in one of the most significant group abductions in recent Nigerian history, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The Friday morning attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just a short time after armed men attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 victims were seized, but new figures surfaced after a thorough counting process established that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The taken pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

Local officials have stated that intelligence departments and law enforcement are currently performing a thorough head count to establish the precise number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security concerns, the local authorities has mandated the shutting of all schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive measures.

Furthermore, the national education ministry has directed the provisional closure of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the emergency.

Latest Violent Events

The educational institution abductions represent the latest in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and abducted numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the background of global focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by Christian groups, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Students were crying," the staff member stated, describing her terror while searching for access to the section where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers acted aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their students from schools following the closure order.

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be taken at once.

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to address insecurity," and expressed support for external intervention to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation often target schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

These gangs maintain camps in extensive forest areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.