More than 300 children and staff are now thought to have been kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, making it one of the worst mass abductions the country has seen.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said 303 students and 12 teachers were taken from St Mary's School in Papiri, Niger state - substantially more than previously estimated.
The figures have been revised upwards after a verification exercise.
The kidnapping comes amid a surge of attacks by armed groups. The revised number of people taken surpasses the 276 abducted during the infamous Chibok kidnappings of 2014.
Local police reported that armed men stormed the school around 02:00 local time on Friday morning, abducting students who were staying there.
Dominic Adamu, a parent of students at the school, expressed the overall sentiment of fear and helplessness, stating: Everybody is weak... it took everybody by surprise. Distressed relatives, including one woman whose nieces were among the captives, implored for their safe return.
Authorities in Niger state revealed that the school had ignored a closure order issued in response to intelligence reports warning of potential attacks, putting students at unnecessary risk.
This mass abduction, part of a troubling trend of kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs in Nigeria, follows multiple similar incidents in recent weeks, escalating public outcry over the safety of children and communities.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has delayed foreign trips to address the situation and has mandated closures of more than 40 federal colleges and schools in affected areas. The public's demand for stronger government action against such violence continues to grow amidst these ongoing security crises.
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