🔗 Share this article

Gunmen have abducted more than 300 pupils and educators in one of the largest group abductions in recent Nigerian history, according to a Christian organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Institutions

The early Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in western Nigeria came just a short time after armed men stormed a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 girls.

Earlier reports had suggested 227 victims were seized, but updated figures emerged after a detailed verification exercise determined that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been kidnapped.

The kidnapped students, aged between eight and 18 years, account for nearly 50 percent of the school's total student body of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Actions

State officials have confirmed that security agencies and law enforcement are presently performing a thorough assessment to determine the precise number of abducted people.

In reaction to the increasing security fears, the local authorities has directed the closure of all schools in the region, with nearby states adopting comparable precautionary actions.

Furthermore, the national education ministry has directed the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools across the country.

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international commitments, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on handling the crisis.

Recent Violent Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings constitute the most recent in a sequence of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an assault on a church in western Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and abducted numerous worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These events have occurred against the backdrop of global attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Past Background

Nigeria remains traumatized by the legacy of the large-scale kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with some of those victims still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip circulated by Christian organizations, a upset school staff member recounted hearing the noise of bikes and vehicles before experiencing "forceful banging" on various gates of the compound.

"Children were crying," the witness reported, describing her fear while searching for keys to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority confirmed that the "assailants operated aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, searching sleeping quarters."

Citizen Response and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were picking up their students from schools following the closure directive.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the kidnapping, asking how 300 children could be abducted at once.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to combat insecurity," and expressed approval for external assistance to "resolve this crisis."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For years, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out murders and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

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

These gangs maintain camps in extensive forest areas straddling several states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals 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 worry for officials and security analysts alike.