Turkish envoy: Fethullah terrorists using schools, healthcare as cover in Nigeria

Mehmet Poroy, Turkish ambassador-designate to Nigeria, says the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ) is using schools and health services as a cover for its operations in the country.

NAN reports that Poroy spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at a dinner organised by the Turkish embassy to mark the country’s Democracy and National Unity Day.

FETÖ, also known as the Gülen movement or Hizmet (service), is a transnational religious, educational, and social network founded in the 1950s by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric.

Gülen was once a strong ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but the two men later fell out.

In 2016, the Turkish government blamed FETÖ for a failed coup attempt that claimed the lives of 246 persons and left more than 2000 wounded.

Turkey designated FETÖ as a terrorist group and launched an aggressive global crackdown, freezing assets and taking over thousands of institutions, including schools, charities, and businesses believed to be linked to the network.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and several nations such as Pakistan and Northern Cyprus have also listed FETÖ as a terrorist organisation.

But the group has rejected the classification and has consistently denied involvement in the coup.

After the coup, Hakan Cakil, then-Turkish ambassador to Nigeria, urged Nigeria to close 17 Turkish schools in the country over an alleged link with FETÖ.

In 2021, Erdoğan visited Nigeria and re-echoed that the Gülen movement was operating illegally in the country.

“Unfortunately, the FETÖ terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare,” Poroy said at Tuesday’s dinner.

“We consistently inform our Nigerian friends about the nature and dangers of this organisation and urge them to remain vigilant and cautious.”

He said Turkey, through international cooperation, has successfully disrupted many FETÖ cells and networks operating in allied countries but noted 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,” the envoy said.

“In several countries, including Nigeria, FETÖ continues to pump its operations under the guise 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.”

The Democracy and National Unity Day in Turkey marks the anniversary of the failed coup attempt.