🔗 Share this article

Armed attackers have seized more than 300 pupils and educators in what is considered the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian experience, as reported by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Crisis in Educational Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's co-educational school in Niger state came just days after gunmen attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but new figures were released after a detailed counting process determined that 303 students and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The abducted children, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly half of the school's overall student body of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Measures

State authorities have stated that intelligence departments and police are presently conducting a thorough head count to establish the precise number of missing individuals.

In response to the growing security fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of every schools in the state, with nearby states following comparable precautionary measures.

Furthermore, the federal education department has directed the provisional closure of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has called off international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to concentrate on addressing the crisis.

Recent Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the latest in a series of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack 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 background of international attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the memory of the mass abduction of nearly 300 female students by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a ten years ago, with some of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing recording shared by religious organizations, a upset worker recounted hearing the noise of bikes and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on various gates of the compound.

"Students were crying," the staff member reported, describing her fear while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

The local Catholic authority confirmed that the "attackers acted aggressively and uninterrupted for almost three hours, searching dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried guardians were picking up their students from schools following the shutdown directive.

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the kidnapping, questioning how 300 students could be taken simultaneously.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to combat the security crisis," and expressed support for international intervention to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Security Challenges

For a long time, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting killings and abductions for money in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where state presence is minimal.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent incidents, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These gangs maintain bases in extensive woodland areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a major cause of worry for authorities and experts alike.