The Turkish government has raised fresh concerns over the presence of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) in Nigeria, warning that the group remains active in several countries around the world, including in the sectors of education and healthcare.
Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, made the disclosure on Tuesday night in Abuja during a dinner organised by the Turkish Embassy to commemorate Türkiye’s Democracy and National Unity Day.
The event, held annually on July 15, honours the victims and heroes of the 2016 failed coup attempt, which the Turkish government attributes to FETO—an organisation it has officially designated as a global terrorist network.
Ambassador Poroy stated that the coup attempt, which claimed the lives of at least 251 people, was thwarted through the resistance of patriotic Turkish citizens and government forces loyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He emphasized that despite efforts to dismantle the group’s operations globally, FETO continues to pose a threat to countries where it is still active.
“Unfortunately, the FETO terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare,” Poroy said. “We consistently inform our Nigerian friends about the nature and dangers of this organisation, and urge them to remain vigilant and cautious.”
According to Poroy, Turkey has made significant progress through international cooperation, leading to the disruption and shutdown of FETO-linked networks in many allied nations. Several educational and humanitarian institutions formerly linked to the group have since been taken over by Turkish authorities.
“Nonetheless, the organisation’s international infrastructure has not been fully dismantled,” he said, noting that investigations and arrests linked to the movement continue in various countries.
He also warned that FETO often operates under the guise of humanitarian aid, interfaith dialogue, education, and healthcare to gain influence and infiltrate political and bureaucratic institutions in host countries.
“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 added.
The Fethullah Gülen-led movement, also known as Hizmet (meaning “Service” in Turkish), emerged in the 1950s as a transnational religious, educational, and social organisation. Gülen, a Turkish Islamic cleric, died in October 2024 in Pennsylvania, United States, while living in exile. He was 83.
Since the 2016 coup attempt, the Turkish government has intensified a global crackdown on the group, seizing and shutting down institutions and freezing assets worth billions of dollars linked to FETO, including schools, universities, charities, and companies.
While the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in terrorism or the coup plot, Türkiye continues to lead international efforts to curtail its influence.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Pakistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have all officially designated FETO as a terrorist organisation.
