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The Turkish government has issued a warning that members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group classified as a terrorist organization, are present in Nigeria and are also active in various countries worldwide.
Mehmet Poroy, the Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, revealed this on Tuesday night in Abuja during a dinner hosted by the Turkish Embassy to commemorate Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ceremony is held annually to mark the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Türkiye, which was allegedly orchestrated by the so-called FETO terrorists.
The Turkish government stated that the coup was effectively suppressed thanks to the united resistance of its patriotic security forces and citizens, who stood against the uprising targeting President Recep Erdoğan’s administration.
Ambassador Poroy noted that members of the Gülen movement, which orchestrated the coup, continue to be apprehended around the world, and as such, their presence in any country represents a significant threat to national security.
“They are still being captured and arrested today. The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates.
“Unfortunately, the FETO terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.
“We consistently inform our Nigerian friends about the nature and dangers of this organisation, and urge them to remain vigilant and cautious,” Poroy said.
The Turkish envoy said that, through international cooperation, Turkiye has been able to successfully disrupt many FETO cells and networks operating in allied countries around the world.
He stated that many institutions, particularly schools that were part of FETO’s global network, have now been taken over by Turkish organizations.
He, however, stressed that the group’s international structures have not been fully dismantled globally.
“The fact that new investigations and arrests into the organisation continue to be launched demonstrates the need for this struggle to be pursued with unwavering determination.
“In several countries, including Nigeria, FETO continues to pump its operations under the presence of humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, and interfaith dialogue.
“You must not forget that behind this humanitarian appearance lies an organisation that seeks to infiltrate the political and bureaucratic institutions of host countries,” Poroy warned.
NAN reports that the Gülen movement, (known as Hizmet or Service in Turk language), is purportedly a transnational, religious, educational, and social organisation, founded in late 1950.
Its founder, Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar, died as a Turkish fugitive in Oct. 2024 at the age of 83, in Pennsylvania, United States.
The Turkish government holds Gülen responsible for orchestrating the deadly 2016 coup that resulted in the loss of at least 251 lives and has formally classified his group as a global terrorist organization.
Nine years after the coup, Türkiye remains steadfast in its vigorous international campaign against the group, maintaining that it continues to operate across the globe, despite the group’s rejection of the terrorism label.
Türkiye has undertaken a sweeping international crackdown on the group, seizing or freezing billions of dollars’ worth of assets and institutions linked to Gülen, such as schools, universities, foundations, associations, and companies.
NAN also reports that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); alongside countries like Pakistan and Northern Cyprus have designated FETO as a terrorist organisation.
FETO terrorist organization still maintains its activities – Türkiye warns Nigeria
