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Gunmen have kidnapped in excess of 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the largest collective seizures in modern Nigerian times, according to a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Facilities

The early Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria happened just a short time after gunmen invaded a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Initial accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but revised numbers emerged after a thorough verification exercise determined that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The abducted students, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Actions

State authorities have confirmed that security agencies and law enforcement are presently conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security fears, the state government has mandated the closure of every schools in the region, with nearby states following comparable preventive steps.

Furthermore, the national education ministry has directed the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

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

Recent Violent Events

The educational institution abductions represent the most recent in a series of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and abducted many worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious groups, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "violent banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the witness said, recounting her panic while searching for access to the section where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "assailants acted violently and without interruption for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their students from educational institutions following the shutdown directive.

One mother, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 children could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and expressed approval for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For a long time, heavily armed criminal gangs have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often attack schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

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

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.