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Gunmen have kidnapped more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian history, as reported by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in School Facilities

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria occurred just days after gunmen stormed a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Initial accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but updated figures emerged after a comprehensive assessment determined that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Response and Security Measures

State officials have stated that security departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive head count to determine the precise number of missing people.

In response to the growing security fears, the local authorities has directed the shutting of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following similar preventive steps.

Additionally, the national education department has directed the temporary closure of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

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

Latest Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the country, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and abducted dozens congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian groups, a upset employee described hearing the noise of bikes and cars before hearing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the compound.

"Children were crying," the staff member stated, recounting her terror while looking for keys to the area where the screaming was most intense.

The local Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their students from educational institutions following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

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

Ongoing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding ransom payments frequently target schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of concern for officials and security analysts alike.