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Gunmen have abducted more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in what appears to be the biggest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian experience, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The early Friday assault on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria came just days after armed men stormed a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 young women.

Initial accounts had indicated 227 victims were taken, but revised figures surfaced after a detailed assessment established that 303 students and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Reaction and Security Measures

State officials have confirmed that intelligence departments and law enforcement are currently performing a thorough assessment to verify the exact number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the local authorities has ordered the shutting of all schools in the region, with nearby states following similar precautionary steps.

Additionally, the federal education ministry has directed the provisional closure of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on addressing the emergency.

Recent Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a series of security incidents that have rocked the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and seized many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian groups, a distraught employee described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, describing her terror while looking for access to the area where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "attackers acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were collecting their children from educational institutions following the shutdown directive.

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

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to address the security crisis," and expressed support for international assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Security Challenges

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

While no group has taken credit for the recent incidents, criminal groups demanding financial compensation often attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in vast forest areas straddling multiple states in western Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of worry for officials and security analysts alike.