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Gunmen have abducted over 300 students and teachers in one of the largest group abductions in modern Nigerian times, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning attack on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state happened just days after armed men attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 female students.

Initial accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but new numbers emerged after a comprehensive verification exercise determined that 303 students and 12 educators had been abducted.

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

Government Response and Security Measures

Local officials have confirmed that security agencies and law enforcement are presently conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine the precise number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the growing safety fears, the local authorities has directed the shutting of every schools in the region, with nearby states adopting similar preventive measures.

Additionally, the national education ministry has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off overseas engagements, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Recent Violent Incidents

The school abductions represent the latest in a series of security incidents that have shaken the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants killed two people and abducted numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have taken place against the backdrop of international focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of nearly 300 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with several of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip shared by religious organizations, a frightened school staff member recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Children were screaming," the staff member said, recounting her panic while searching for keys to the section where the crying was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "assailants acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their children from schools following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to curb the security crisis," and expressed support for external intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

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

While nobody has taken credit for the latest attacks, criminal groups seeking ransom payments frequently attack schools in countryside locations where security is weak.

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

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