There have been stampedes at junior schools in Kaduna State since the administration of Governor Nasir el-Rufai introduced a free school meal for all pupils this month, the BBC has reported.

“It has led to a huge influx in students,” a report today by BBC Hausa Correspondent Nurah Ringim said.

The report said that cases of pupils getting injured in the rush for the free food have led to the stationing of Red Cross workers at the schools.

It cited a school in Rigasa, near Kaduna city, “where Red Cross workers are always at hand to treat those hurt in the rush to get food.”

The online version of the story was accompanied with photos, including the one reproduced here, showing an injured pupil being treated by a Red Cross official.