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Armed attackers have seized over 300 schoolchildren and staff in one of the biggest collective seizures in modern Nigerian history, according to a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in Educational Institutions

The Friday morning raid on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state came just days after gunmen stormed a high school in adjacent Kebbi state, abducting 25 female students.

Initial accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but updated figures emerged after a comprehensive counting process confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The taken children, aged between eight and 18 years, represent nearly 50 percent of the school's total student body of 629.

Government Response and Safety Measures

Local authorities have announced that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are currently conducting a thorough assessment to verify the exact number of abducted people.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of every schools in the region, with nearby states following similar precautionary steps.

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

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled overseas commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on managing the situation.

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the most recent in a sequence of safety breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two individuals and seized dozens congregation members during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the large-scale kidnapping of nearly 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning recording shared by religious groups, a frightened school staff member recounted hearing the sounds of bikes and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on multiple gates of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the staff member reported, describing her fear while searching for access to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic diocese confirmed that the "attackers acted violently and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Public Reaction and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their children from educational institutions following the closure directive.

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, expressed her disbelief at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to address insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "resolve this situation."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting killings and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence 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 weak.

These gangs maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning several states in the west of Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of concern for authorities and security analysts alike.