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Gunmen have seized more than 300 students and teachers in one of the largest collective seizures in recent Nigerian experience, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Facilities

The early Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just days after gunmen invaded a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 young women.

Initial accounts had stated 227 victims were taken, but revised figures emerged after a comprehensive counting process confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

The abducted pupils, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Official Response and Safety Measures

State officials have stated that intelligence agencies and police are presently performing a thorough assessment to determine the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the increasing safety fears, the local authorities has ordered the closure of all schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting comparable precautionary measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled overseas engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the crisis.

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the latest in a series of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a church in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two people and abducted numerous congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by religious organizations, a distraught worker recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the witness reported, describing her panic while looking for keys to the section where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic authority stated that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from schools following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be abducted at once.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to address insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain camps in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in the west of 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 major source of concern for officials and experts alike.