THE Federal Government has dismissed recent claims by the Turkish government alleging that members of a terrorist group known as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) are operating within Nigeria.
Responding on Wednesday, the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj Gen Adamu Laka, assured Nigerians that there is no new terrorist group in the country and urged the public to remain calm.
“There is no need to panic,” Laka said in an interview with this newspaper, following statements made by Mehmet Poroy, Türkiye’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria.
Poroy had made the remarks during a dinner hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday evening to commemorate Türkiye’s Democracy and National Unity Day, an annual event marking the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt in the country.
In his speech, Poroy alleged that the FETO network, which Ankara blames for the 2016 coup, continues to operate globally under the guise of humanitarian work and remains active in Nigeria through education and healthcare institutions.
“Unfortunately, the FETO terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare,” the ambassador said.
“The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates.”
He called for vigilance, warning Nigerian authorities and citizens of the group’s alleged tactics to infiltrate political and social institutions abroad.
FETO is the label used by the Turkish government for institutions and individuals associated with Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar and former political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Gülen fell out with Erdoğan and was accused of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt, a charge he strongly denied.
After the failed coup, the Turkish government designated Gülen’s global network of schools, NGOs, and businesses as a terrorist organisation and launched a widespread crackdown.
Gülen, who had lived in self-exile in the United States, died in 2024 at the age of 83.
While Gülen-affiliated schools and institutions are known to exist in more than 160 countries, including Nigeria, no concrete evidence has been made public linking them to terrorism within Nigerian territory.
Despite the Turkish government’s repeated warnings, Nigerian authorities have not publicly identified FETO as a security threat.
The Federal Government’s response suggests it remains cautious about adopting a foreign government’s designation without clear evidence.
Security analysts have also noted that Türkiye’s pressure on foreign governments to shut down Gülen-linked institutions has been part of a broader international diplomatic campaign since 2016.
As of now, there is no official move to ban or label any organisation in Nigeria as affiliated with FETO.