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Gunmen have seized over 300 pupils and educators in one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, as stated by a religious organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in Educational Institutions

The early 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 neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Initial accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but updated numbers emerged after a detailed 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 total student population of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Actions

Local officials have stated that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive census to determine the precise number of missing people.

In response to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has mandated the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states following comparable preventive steps.

Additionally, the federal education ministry has directed the provisional shutting of 47 residential high schools across the country.

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

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution abductions represent the most recent in a series of safety incidents that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen killed two individuals and abducted dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria remains scarred by the memory of the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Firsthand Testimonies

In a disturbing recording circulated by Christian groups, a upset school staff member described hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple entrances of the compound.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, recounting her panic while looking for access to the area where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic diocese stated that the "attackers operated aggressively and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, concerned parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the shutdown directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, expressed her disbelief at the magnitude of the abduction, questioning how 300 children could be abducted simultaneously.

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

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for money in rural areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

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

These groups maintain bases in extensive woodland areas straddling multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a major source of worry for authorities and experts alike.