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Gunmen have seized in excess of 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian times, according to a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in School Facilities

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria happened just days after gunmen stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Initial reports had stated 227 victims were seized, but updated figures were released after a detailed assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

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

Official Response and Safety Measures

State officials have announced that security agencies and police are currently performing a comprehensive assessment to determine the precise number of abducted individuals.

In response to the increasing security fears, the state government has mandated the shutting of every schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting comparable precautionary actions.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on handling the situation.

Recent Security Events

The educational institution abductions represent the latest in a series of safety breaches that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where assailants killed two people and abducted numerous worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These events have taken place against the background of global attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the large-scale kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by religious organizations, a upset school staff member described hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the staff member reported, describing her fear while looking for keys to the section where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers operated aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Concerns

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

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her disbelief at the magnitude of the abduction, questioning how 300 children could be abducted simultaneously.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to address insecurity," and expressed support for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting murders and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has taken credit for the recent incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in extensive forest areas straddling multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and experts alike.