In a report on Monday, the human rights group said at least 3,641 people had died in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016.

The army has accused Amnesty of trying to destabilise the country with “fictitious” claims.

A spokesperson for Amnesty told the BBC that the group “would not be discouraged” by the military’s remarks.

The exchange of words comes days after Nigeria’s military briefly suspended the activities of the UN children’s agency Unicef in the north-east of the country.