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Armed attackers have abducted more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the most significant mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just days after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Earlier reports had indicated 227 victims were taken, but new numbers were released after a thorough counting process established that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

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

Official Response and Security Actions

Local authorities have announced that intelligence agencies and police are currently performing a comprehensive head count to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In response to the growing security fears, the state government has mandated the shutting of all schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable preventive measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the situation.

Latest Violent Events

The school abductions constitute the most recent in a sequence of safety breaches that have shaken the nation, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and seized dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a concerning recording circulated by Christian groups, a distraught worker described hearing the sounds of bikes and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the witness said, describing her fear while looking for keys to the section where the crying was loudest.

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

Citizen Response and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their students from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

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

She stated that the "government is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and voiced support for international intervention to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Security Challenges

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

While no group has taken credit for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive forest areas straddling multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these criminals have no political motives and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.