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Armed attackers have kidnapped in excess of 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the biggest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian times, according to a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state occurred just days after gunmen attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 victims were taken, but new numbers emerged after a detailed counting process established that 303 students and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

State officials have confirmed that security agencies and police are currently conducting a comprehensive head count to establish the exact number of missing individuals.

In response to the increasing safety concerns, the state government has mandated the shutting of every schools in the region, with neighboring states following similar preventive steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the crisis.

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a sequence of safety incidents that have rocked the nation, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by Christian groups, a upset school staff member recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on various gates of the compound.

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

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the closure order.

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

She concluded that the "government is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and expressed support for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been conducting killings and abductions for money in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest attacks, criminal groups demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

These groups maintain bases in vast forest areas straddling several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major source of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.