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Armed attackers have abducted in excess of 300 schoolchildren and staff in what appears to be the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian experience, as stated by a religious organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just days after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers were released after a detailed assessment confirmed that 303 students and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The taken students, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's overall student body of 629.

Official Response and Security Actions

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

In reaction to the increasing security fears, the local authorities has mandated the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting comparable preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on managing the situation.

Recent Violent Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the latest in a sequence of security incidents 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 many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Accounts

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious organizations, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, describing her fear while searching for access to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The local Catholic authority stated that the "assailants operated aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from educational institutions following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to address insecurity," and voiced approval for international assistance to "resolve this situation."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out killings and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

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

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.