🔗 Share this article

Armed attackers have kidnapped more than 300 schoolchildren and staff in what is considered the largest collective seizures in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a Christian organization on Saturday.

Growing Crisis in School Institutions

The Friday morning attack on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria occurred just days after gunmen invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, seizing 25 girls.

Earlier accounts had stated 227 individuals were seized, but revised figures were released after a comprehensive counting process determined that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been kidnapped.

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

Government Response and Safety Measures

Local authorities have stated that intelligence departments and law enforcement are presently conducting a thorough head count to verify the exact number of missing people.

In response to the increasing safety fears, the state government has directed the closure of every schools in the state, with neighboring states adopting similar preventive steps.

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

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

Latest Security Incidents

The school kidnappings represent the latest in a series of safety breaches that have rocked the nation, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized dozens worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the backdrop of international focus on Nigeria's security situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be traumatized by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a ten years ago, with several of those girls still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a disturbing recording shared by Christian groups, a frightened worker described hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "violent banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were crying," the witness stated, describing her terror while searching for access to the area where the crying was loudest.

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

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

At the same time, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were collecting their students from educational institutions following the closure order.

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

She concluded that the "government is not doing enough to address insecurity," and voiced support for external assistance to "salvage this situation."

Ongoing Security Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been conducting murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northern and middle Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation often target schools in rural areas where security is weak.

These groups maintain camps in vast woodland areas spanning multiple states in western Nigeria.

Although these bandits have no political motives and are mainly driven by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from the northeastern region has become a major cause of concern for officials and experts alike.