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Armed attackers have abducted more than 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian experience, as stated by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The Friday morning attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just days after gunmen stormed a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but revised figures surfaced after a thorough counting process determined that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

The taken students, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's total student population of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Measures

Local authorities have announced that intelligence agencies and police are currently performing a thorough census to verify the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the increasing safety fears, the state government has directed the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states following comparable precautionary steps.

Additionally, the federal education ministry has directed the temporary closure of 47 residential high schools across the country.

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

Recent Security Incidents

The school abductions constitute the latest in a sequence of safety breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the backdrop of global attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by Christian groups, a frightened worker described hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness said, describing her fear while looking for keys to the section where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "assailants acted violently and without interruption for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from schools following the closure order.

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

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to curb insecurity," and voiced approval for external intervention to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for money in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the latest attacks, criminal groups demanding financial compensation frequently target schools in countryside locations where protection is weak.

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

While these bandits have no political motives and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for officials and experts alike.