The Nigerian army patrols after driving out Boko Haram Islamist militants from Michika, Nigeria on March 19, 2015.(Photo: epa)

The Nigerian army removed a tweet that appeared to use the words of President Donald Trump to justify his use of lethal force against a group of protesters last week.

The military, which has been the target of alleged human rights abuses, tweeted a Trump video suggesting that immigrants could be shot if they threw stones at the US military with the caption "Please monitor and make your deductions "

The video is an excerpt from A speech at the White House Thursday by Trump in which he announced that his government was preparing to change the country's asylum practices in the light of a caravan of migrants fleeing the danger in Central America that is heading to the United States.

"They want to throw stones at our armed forces, our military forces are fighting back," the president told reporters. "I told them to consider this as a rifle.When they throw stones like what they did to the Mexican army and police, I tell them to consider it a rifle."

Trump later returned, saying that migrants throwing stones at members of the military on the US border would be arrested. He said he hoped "that they will not have to shoot" and challenged how his previous comments were perceived by the public.

"I did not say to shoot," said Trump. "I did not say shoot, but if they do it with us, they will be arrested for a long time."

The Nigerian military tweet seemed to refer to the violence against protesters that occurred this weekend. An Amnesty International report revealed that Nigerian soldiers and police had killed at least 45 supporters and wounded 122 other members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria within two days. The group was organizing a peaceful religious procession in the capital, Abuja.

The protesters demanded the release of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim El Zakzaky, whose detention was described as "illegal and unconstitutional" by a federal court in December 2016, according to Amnesty International.

Nigerian army spokesman John Agim told The New York Times that the army had released the video in reaction to the report accusing the army of using weapons against Some protestors.

"We have released this video to indicate if President Trump could say that stones are as effective as a rifle, that's who Amnesty International?", He told the newspaper. "What are they saying then? What did David use to kill Goliath? So, a stone is a weapon. "

The tweet and Trump's initial remarks have been widely condemned by human rights defenders. Samantha Power, former US ambassador to the United Nations, described her as "disgusting".

The US Embassy in Abuja has also called on the Nigerian government to investigate the deaths at the protests and prosecute those responsible.

Since taking office, Trump has decided to strengthen relations between the United States and Nigeria, providing training and security equipment to the country's armed forces and approving the sale of twelve light attack aircraft. 29 Super Tucano, blocked by former President Barack Obama. the Nigerian army's poor human rights record, Human Rights Watch reports

"This episode clearly shows that Trump's rhetoric is very concrete," the organization said in a statement. "His recent inflammatory statements, made a few days before the mid-term elections in the United States, have clearly been seized by some members of the Nigerian military as a new, abusive standard to which they would like to adhere."

Contribution: Christal Hayes, USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Follow N & # 39; dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg

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