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Armed attackers have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in one of the most significant group abductions in recent Nigerian experience, according to a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in School Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after gunmen invaded a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Initial accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but revised figures surfaced after a comprehensive counting process established that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

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

Government Reaction and Safety Actions

State authorities have confirmed that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently conducting a comprehensive assessment to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the state government has directed the shutting of every schools in the region, with nearby states following similar preventive measures.

Furthermore, the federal education ministry has ordered the provisional shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

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

Recent Violent Events

The educational institution abductions constitute the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have rocked the country, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and abducted many congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian groups, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Children were crying," the staff member said, describing her fear while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The local Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants operated violently and without interruption for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Fears

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

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 children could be abducted simultaneously.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to curb insecurity," and expressed support for external assistance to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for ransom in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

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

These groups maintain bases in extensive forest areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by monetary profit, their growing cooperation with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of concern for officials and security analysts alike.