Two girls, who were among at least 25 children and a teacher kidnapped from their boarding school in north-western Nigeria’s Kebbi state on Monday, have managed to escape, a local official has told the BBC.

The pair ran away as their armed captors were leading them into the bushes before escaping across farmland, Hussaini Aliyu of Danko Wasagu council said.

He added that the girls were “back and are safe”, but one of them needed medical treatment as she had wounded her leg while fleeing.

A team of soldiers, police and volunteers are combing forested areas in attempt to rescue the captives who were seized by gunmen.

“You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children,” Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria’s chief of army staff, told troops sent to Kebbi state.

Over the past decade, schools in northern Nigeria have become frequent targets for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to seek ransom payments or leverage deals with the government.

Police say the gunmen, described locally as “bandits”, invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town at about 04:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday.

Parents face an agonising wait.

One inconsolable father, whose daughter is still being held captive, told BBC Hausa that his family had been crying non-stop and “it’s hard to go back home and look at their faces”.

He said he had two daughters enrolled at the school – one of whom successfully hid from the attackers, but the other was not so lucky.

“My two daughters hid in the toilet when the armed men invaded their hostel.

“When the [gunmen] ordered all those hiding to come out, or else they’ll kill them, one of my daughters got scared and came out,” the father said.

He added that he heard of the abductions after the Muslim early-morning prayer on Monday, and he rushed to the school and has been there ever since.

“My daughter is a very bright and easy-going person,” he said.

Police say the attackers “engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel” before climbing over the perimeter fence and taking the girls from their hostel.

The assault left two members of staff dead – they were a teacher who was killed while trying to protect the girls, and a security guard who later died in hospital from gunshot wounds.

The attack highlights the persistent security crisis plaguing the region, leaving families in a state of fear.

Nigeria’s central government says it is “deeply concerned” by the abductions.

In a statement on Monday, Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said the authorities “share in the pain” of the affected families and are working urgently to rescue the girls.

He added that President Bola Tinubu remains “unwavering in his commitment to protect every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren”.