Nigerians have taken to social media to castigate the Nigerian Army for posting a video of US President Donald Trump to justify killing of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in Abuja earlier in the week.
In the 48-second video, Trump could be heard saying that US troops would be justified to use their rifles should illegal immigrants at the Mexican border throw stones at them.
Trump told journalists at the White House that a group of several thousand migrants walking through Mexico towards the US border had thrown rocks “viciously and violently” at Mexican police.
“We’re not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back,” he said.
“I told them (troops) consider it (a rock) a rifle. When they throw rocks as they did at the Mexican military and police, I say consider it a rifle.”
Watch video:
https://twitter.com/HQNigerianArmy/status/1058264565190774786
Recall that many shiites protesting the continued detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, were shot dead by Nigerian Army personnel for throwing stones at the soldiers.
But many commentators berated the military for posting the video, saying that migrants were not the same as the Shiites, who are Nigerian citizens.
Read comments monitored on Twitter:
I don’t know the wreck managing this Twitter account, but Trump here is talking about Mexican illegal immigrants being stopped from entering the US. He’s warning about external aggression by foreigners, and not justifying internal crackdown on Americans.
DELETE this nonsense! https://t.co/0fVdIANqm1
— Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) November 2, 2018
You guys are guilty as charged, the comparison u want to make doesn't add up,that is illegitimate external aggression, while the shitte case is legitimate internal protests, so u can't compare the two. Buhari and Buratai will soon visit ICC,you guys should continue. We are noting
— Val Mary (@ValMary89666872) November 2, 2018
My deductions: You’ve now graciously admitted that civilians (citizens) who threw stones at army personnel in protest were attacked and shot at. Sad!
— Ubong (Kingsley) Udofa (@KingsDee) November 2, 2018
You realize this is not against the citizens of the US?
— Shinigami(علي) (@spckplug) November 2, 2018
My Deductions:
1. The subjects are not the citizens of US.
2. The US Military are being asked to protect their borders against external force/invasion.
3. The subjects have been forewarned severally not to enter the US illegally.
— Saint Enike (@SaintEnike) November 2, 2018
Oh! No this is the height, Nigerian army referencing Donald Trump? Same man that called t Commander in Chief Lifeless, so if we should go by this analogy, Buhari is Lifeless as insinuated by Trump.
It’s obvious the Nigerian army is not going to change anytime soon.
— BONARIO NNAGS (@bonario89) November 2, 2018
I do not approve of people throwing stones at our military, but seriously, is Trump your standard now?!!🤨
— Kunle Osinuga (@Kunlele3) November 2, 2018
What nonsense justification from the Nigerian army.. What happened to water Canon? What happened to pepper spray? What happened to tear gas? Why should it be bullet? We don't have sense in this country. ☹️
— Prof. IGWEH IFEANYI 👑 (@IgwehIfeanyi) November 2, 2018
They are not US citizens, he can’t say that if they were to be US citizens. Your comparison doesn’t match with the reality of what you guys did to IMN.
— Azagba Ni Aboh (@Enudi3) November 2, 2018