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Gunmen have kidnapped over 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, according to a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Facilities

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after gunmen stormed a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 victims were seized, but revised numbers were released after a detailed verification exercise established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

The abducted pupils, aged between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's overall enrollment of 629.

Official Reaction and Safety Measures

Local officials have confirmed that security agencies and police are presently performing a thorough assessment to determine the precise number of missing people.

In reaction to the growing security fears, the local authorities has mandated the closure of every schools in the region, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive steps.

Additionally, the national education department has ordered the temporary closure of 47 boarding secondary schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the situation.

Recent Security Incidents

The school kidnappings constitute the latest in a sequence of security incidents that have shaken the country, including an attack on a church in western Nigeria where assailants killed two individuals and seized many worshipers during a online broadcast service.

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

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip shared by Christian groups, a frightened worker recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and vehicles before hearing "violent banging" on multiple entrances of the school premises.

"Children were weeping," the staff member stated, describing her panic while searching for access to the area where the crying was most intense.

The local Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers operated violently and without interruption for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Public Response and Fears

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried parents were collecting their students from schools following the closure directive.

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

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to curb insecurity," and voiced approval for external intervention to "resolve this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in rural areas of northern and central Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has taken credit for the recent incidents, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

These gangs maintain camps in vast forest areas straddling multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of worry for officials and experts alike.