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Armed attackers have abducted over 300 students and teachers in what appears to be the largest collective seizures in modern Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Facilities

The pre-dawn Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after armed men attacked a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers were released after a detailed verification exercise determined that 303 students and 12 educators had been abducted.

The taken children, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's total enrollment of 629.

Government Response and Safety Actions

State authorities have stated that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently performing a comprehensive census to establish the exact number of missing individuals.

In response to the increasing security fears, the local authorities has ordered the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states following similar preventive steps.

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

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

Latest Security Incidents

The school abductions constitute the latest in a sequence of safety incidents that have shaken the country, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and seized dozens congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the memory of the mass abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a concerning video clip shared by Christian groups, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the compound.

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

The local Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned guardians were collecting their students from educational institutions following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her disbelief at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be taken at once.

She stated that the "government is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and expressed approval for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Ongoing Security Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting murders and abductions for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain bases in vast forest areas spanning several states in western Nigeria.

While these bandits have no political motives and are primarily motivated by financial gain, their growing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of worry for officials and experts alike.