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Armed attackers have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the largest mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian experience, according to a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Institutions

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

Earlier accounts had indicated 227 individuals were taken, but updated numbers surfaced after a comprehensive assessment confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

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

Official Response and Security Measures

Local officials have confirmed that intelligence agencies and police are presently conducting a comprehensive head count to establish the exact number of missing individuals.

In response to the growing safety concerns, the local authorities has directed the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states following similar precautionary actions.

Furthermore, the national education ministry has ordered the temporary closure of 47 residential high schools across the country.

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

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution abductions constitute the most recent in a series of safety incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian groups, a distraught employee recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were screaming," the witness said, recounting her fear while searching for keys to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese confirmed that the "assailants operated violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from schools following the closure directive.

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

She concluded that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and voiced approval for external intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for money in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While no group has taken credit for the recent attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain bases in extensive woodland areas straddling several states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and security analysts alike.