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Armed attackers have seized in excess of 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the biggest mass kidnappings in modern Nigerian experience, according to a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after armed men attacked a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 young women.

Initial accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but revised figures surfaced after a thorough counting process determined that 303 students and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

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

Official Reaction and Security Measures

State officials have confirmed that intelligence agencies and police are currently performing a thorough assessment to verify the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has ordered the closure of all schools in the region, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the situation.

Recent Violent Events

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a series of security breaches that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a church in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and abducted dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Context

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

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip circulated by Christian groups, a upset employee described hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before hearing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the compound.

"Children were weeping," the witness stated, describing her fear while searching for keys to the section where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants operated aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Fears

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

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to address the security crisis," and expressed support for external assistance to "salvage this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed criminal gangs have been conducting murders and kidnappings 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 seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in countryside locations where protection is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

While these criminals have no political motives and are primarily driven by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.