🔗 Share this article

Armed attackers have abducted more than 300 pupils and educators in what appears to be the largest collective seizures in recent Nigerian times, as reported by a religious organization on the weekend.

Escalating Crisis in School Institutions

The pre-dawn Friday assault on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria occurred just a short time after armed men attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.

Initial reports had suggested 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers surfaced after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 pupils and 12 teachers had been abducted.

The kidnapped students, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's overall student population of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Actions

State officials have confirmed that security departments and law enforcement are currently conducting a comprehensive census to verify the exact number of abducted individuals.

In reaction to the increasing security concerns, the local authorities has ordered the closure of every schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable precautionary measures.

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

President Bola Tinubu has called off international commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the crisis.

Recent Violent Events

The school abductions constitute the latest in a sequence of security breaches that have rocked the country, including an assault on a place of worship in the west of Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized numerous worshipers during a online broadcast service.

These incidents 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 abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok over a decade ago, with some of those girls still unaccounted for.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious organizations, a frightened employee recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and vehicles before experiencing "violent banging" on various entrances of the compound.

"Students were screaming," the staff member stated, describing her panic while looking for access to the section where the crying was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "assailants acted aggressively and without interruption for nearly three hours, moving through dormitories."

Citizen Reaction and Fears

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

One mother, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the scale of the kidnapping, asking how 300 students could be abducted simultaneously.

She stated that the "authorities is not doing enough to combat insecurity," and expressed approval for international assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Safety Challenges

For a long time, well-equipped bandit groups have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for ransom in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where government control is minimal.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, criminal groups seeking financial compensation frequently attack schools in rural areas where security is inadequate.

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

While these bandits have no ideological leanings and are primarily motivated by monetary profit, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant source of worry for authorities and experts alike.