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At least four women were killed in Nigeria in a stampede as a crowd rushed to get cash handouts from a businessman, police say.

A 17-year-old girl was also injured in the incident, which happened in the north-eastern Bauchi state on Sunday.

Some reports put the death toll much higher.

The businessman was issuing 5,000 naira ($3; £2.74) to each person in an effort to help them buy food during the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the AFP news agency reported.

For months, Nigerians have been grappling with severe economic challenges, including soaring food prices.

Two students from Nasarawa State University near the capital city, Abuja, died on Friday during a separate stampede for free rice.

And at least seven deaths were reported in the commercial hub Lagos last month after a struggle for cheap rice sold by the Nigeria Customs Service, a government body.

Police have warned against holding such events without proper crowd control mechanisms from the authorities.