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Gunmen have seized in excess of 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in Educational Institutions

The early Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria happened just days after gunmen attacked a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers surfaced after a comprehensive assessment confirmed that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

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

Official Reaction and Security Actions

Local officials have announced that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are presently performing a thorough census to establish the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security fears, the state government has mandated the closure of all schools in the state, with nearby states following comparable precautionary actions.

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

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

Recent Violent Events

The school abductions constitute the latest in a series of safety incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and abducted numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Context

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

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian groups, a upset employee described hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before hearing "violent banging" on various gates of the school premises.

"Children were screaming," the witness reported, recounting her panic while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The local Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were collecting their students from educational institutions following the closure directive.

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

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and voiced approval for international assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in rural areas where protection is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.