The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye to leave Turkish citizens and groups in Nigeria alone and stop crying wolf where there is none as there are no such terrorist groups in the country.
Türkiye’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, alleged that members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), continues to operate under the guise of humanitarian work, with an active presence in Nigeria through educational and healthcare institutions.
FETO is the term used by the Turkish government to describe institutions and individuals linked to Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar and former political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Gülen, who strongly denied any involvement in the 2016 coup, lived in self-imposed exile in the United States until his death in 2024 at the age of 83.
But the Islamic human rights group, MURIC, insisted that the Turkish groups in Nigeria are educationists and charity groups who are joining hands with Nigerians for the country’s growth and development.
In a statement on Monday July 21, 2025 by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said: “The government of Turkiye has warned the Nigerian government to be wary of Gulenist terrorists in the country.
“We take this warning with a pinch of salt. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is crying wolf where there is none. He is afraid of his own shadow.
“Nigeria is not a satellite of Turkiye. Therefore, he cannot manipulate Nigeria to satisfy narrow diabolical objective. The whole world knows that he has virtually forced all opposition elements out of his country with his repressive and tyrannical tendencies.
“It is gratifying to note that even the Nigerian government has rejected his sinister advances and wrongful insinuations.
“As a democratic nation, we will not be complicit in the suppression of the opposition in other countries. We advise the Turkish leader to leave the followers of the late Shaykh Gulen in Nigeria alone and to stop crying wolf where there is none. Erdogan should take his cock and bull stories to the marines. Nigeria cannot be fooled.”
