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Gunmen have seized over 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the biggest mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Emergency in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria happened just a short time after gunmen invaded a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Initial reports had suggested 227 individuals were seized, but revised figures were released after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 students and 12 instructors 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.

Government Reaction and Security Actions

Local officials have stated that security agencies and police are presently conducting a thorough head count to verify the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing security concerns, the state government has ordered the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states adopting similar preventive measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on managing the crisis.

Recent Security Incidents

The school kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of safety incidents that have rocked the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and abducted many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious groups, a distraught worker recounted hearing the noise of bikes and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the staff member stated, describing her fear while searching for keys to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Fears

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

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

She stated that the "government is failing to act to address insecurity," and voiced approval for international assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out killings and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the latest attacks, criminal groups demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

These gangs maintain camps in extensive woodland areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

While these bandits have no political motives 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.