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Gunmen have seized more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the most significant collective seizures in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Emergency in Educational Institutions

The early Friday raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after gunmen stormed a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers surfaced after a thorough verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped children, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's overall student population of 629.

Government Reaction and Safety Measures

Local authorities have confirmed that intelligence agencies and police are currently performing a comprehensive census to verify the precise number of missing individuals.

In reaction to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has directed the closure of all schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting comparable preventive actions.

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

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

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen killed two people and seized many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

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

Past Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with several of those victims still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Accounts

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian organizations, a distraught school staff member recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on multiple 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 diocese stated that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, concerned guardians were picking up their children from educational institutions following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her shock at the scale of the abduction, asking how 300 students could be abducted at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to address insecurity," and expressed support for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for ransom in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent attacks, criminal groups demanding financial compensation frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive woodland areas straddling several states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the north-east has become a significant cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.