The Turkish government has issued a warning to Nigeria and other countries about the continued presence and operations of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), also known as the Gülen movement.
Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, stated that FETO members are still active globally, particularly in the education and healthcare sectors in Nigeria.
He emphasized that the group's presence poses a serious national threat to any country in which it operates.
The Turkish government alleges that FETO orchestrated the failed coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016, which resulted in at least 251 deaths. Since then, Türkiye has been engaged in a global campaign against the group, seizing or freezing billions of dollars of Gülen-linked assets and institutions, including schools, universities, foundations, associations, and companies.
Ambassador Poroy highlighted that while many FETO cells and networks have been disrupted through international cooperation, the group's international structures have not been fully dismantled. He warned that FETO continues to operate under the guise of humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, and interfaith dialogue, with the ultimate goal of infiltrating political and bureaucratic institutions of host countries.
The Gülen movement, founded by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen (who died in October 2024 as a fugitive in the United States), denies the terrorism tag. However, the Turkish government has officially designated it as a global terrorist organization.
Several international bodies and countries have also designated FETO as a terrorist organization, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Pakistan, and Northern Cyprus.