The Federal Government has refuted claims by the Turkish government that a new terrorist group is active in Nigeria, urging the public not to panic.
The denial comes after Turkey’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, alleged that members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) were operating within Nigeria under the guise of providing educational and healthcare services.
He made the statement during a dinner in Abuja marking Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day on Tuesday night.
Poroy described FETO’s presence as a global threat and warned that the group “still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare,” adding that Ankara has consistently urged Nigerian authorities to remain alert to the group’s alleged influence.
In response, the Coordinator of Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, said there was no new terror threat within the country. “There is no new terrorist group in Nigeria. There’s no need to panic,” he told The PUNCH in an interview.
FETO is associated with Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who died in 2024 at the age of 83. Once a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gulen was accused of masterminding the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and was convicted in absentia.
Although Gulen denied the allegations, the Turkish government branded his global network of schools, charities, and organisations as a terrorist group.
While Gulen-linked institutions reportedly operate in over 160 countries, including Nigeria, there has been no public evidence or official recognition tying them to terrorist activities within Nigerian borders.