Nigeria Rejects Turkish Terror Claims, Insists on Sovereign Security Decisions

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has firmly dismissed recent claims by the Turkish government suggesting that members of a proscribed group, the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), are operating in Nigeria. The military authorities stressed that Nigeria remains a sovereign nation capable of making its own security decisions without foreign interference.

The rebuttal followed remarks by Turkey’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, who alleged that FETO continues to maintain a presence in Nigeria, disguising its activities through educational and healthcare institutions.

Poroy, speaking on Tuesday during a dinner in Abuja to commemorate Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day, warned:

“The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates… particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.”

He further noted that the Turkish government has continued to share intelligence with Nigerian authorities regarding the group’s alleged operations and urged them to remain alert.

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“Turkey continues to brief Nigeria on what it views as the group’s subversive activities,” he said, calling on the Nigerian government to stay “vigilant and cautious.”

However, while briefing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, distanced Nigeria’s military from the claims, stressing that they were not backed by verified intelligence.

“Information from the person you are talking about, as far as Defence Headquarters is concerned, is an unofficial announcement. Everybody is free to say whatever they want. There is freedom of information,” Kangye stated.

Emphasising Nigeria’s autonomy in national security matters, Kangye noted that the country cannot be swayed by foreign commentary or external pressures that do not align with its own intelligence findings or interests.

“Nigeria is an independent sovereign nation that can think and act for itself,” he said.

He acknowledged the importance of international partnerships but warned against embracing foreign narratives that could potentially compromise Nigeria’s sovereignty or internal cohesion.

“We cannot take what other people are saying about Nigeria and accept it without our own independent assessment. Nigeria knows what it is, and the Nigerian military has its own code of conduct and operational guidelines,” Kangye asserted.

He also suggested that such foreign assertions may form part of broader information warfare strategies aimed at shaping perception and influencing policy decisions globally.

“There are propagandists all over the world. Psychological oppressions go on everywhere. That’s why we must be vigilant,” he warned.

Despite the disagreement with Turkey’s position, Kangye reaffirmed Nigeria’s ongoing commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms—based strictly on domestic intelligence, national interest, and sovereign judgment.

“We value our international allies, but our security decisions will always reflect our status as a sovereign state,” Kangye concluded.