The Turkish government has warned that members of a terrorist group known as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation exist in Nigeria and also operate in other countries around the world.
Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, disclosed this on Tuesday night in Abuja at a dinner organised by the Turkish Embassy to mark the countryâs 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 TĂźrkiye, which the so-called FETO terrorists allegedly orchestrated.
The Turkish government said the coup was successfully quelled by the collective resistance of its patriotic forces and citizens, who resisted the mutiny against the government of President Recep ErdoÄan.
According to Ambassador Poroy, members of the GĂźlen movement, which sponsored the coup, are still being captured and arrested globally; hence, their presence in any country poses a serious national threat.
âThey are still being captured and arrested today. The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates.
âUnfortunately, the FETO terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.
âWe consistently inform our Nigerian friends about the nature and dangers of this organisation, and urge them to remain vigilant and cautious,â Poroy said.
The Turkish envoy stated that, through international cooperation, Turkey has successfully disrupted many FETO cells and networks operating in allied countries worldwide.
According to him, numerous institutions, especially schools that form part of FETOâs international network, have been taken over by Turkish institutions.
He, however, stressed that the groupâs international structures have not been fully dismantled globally.
âThe 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.
âIn several countries, including Nigeria, FETO continues to pump its operations under the guise of humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, and interfaith dialogue.
âYou must not forget that behind this humanitarian appearance lies an organisation that seeks to infiltrate the political and bureaucratic institutions of host countries,â Poroy warned.
NAN reports that the GĂźlen 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 GĂźlen, a Turkish Islamic scholar, died as a Turkish fugitive in October 2024 at the age of 83, in Pennsylvania, United States.
The Turkish government accuses GĂźlen of masterminding the 2016 bloody coup, which claimed at least 251 lives, and has officially designated the group as a global terrorist organisation.
Nine years after the coup, TĂźrkiye has continued its aggressive global campaign against the group, saying it still operates worldwide, although the group has denied the terrorism tag.
