*Photo: Türkiye Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy*
The Federal Government has been warned that the existence of Fethullah Gülen movement in Nigeria is a national security threat.
Türkiye Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, disclosed this on Tuesday night in Abuja.
He spoke at a dinner organised by the Türkiye Embassy to mark the country’s Democracy and National Unity Day.
The ceremony is also held annually to mark the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Türkiye, which was allegedly orchestrated by the Fethullah group against the government of President Recep Erdoğan.
The group operates as a charitable organisation in many countries, including Nigeria, but it has since May 2016, been classified byTürkiye as a terrorist organization under the name Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FTO).
According to Ambassador Poroy, members of the movement are still being captured and arrested globally, hence their presence in any country poses a serious national threat.
“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,” the Ambassador said.
The 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.
According to him, numerous institutions, especially schools that form part of FETO’s international network, have been taken over by Turkish institutions.
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.
The 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 Türkiye Islamic scholar, died as a fugitive in October 2024 at the age of 83, in Pennsylvania, United States.