By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Turkey's Ambassador-designate to Nigeria Melih Ulueren has urged vigilance about the activities of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), saying mistaking it for a benign organization with no hidden agenda could prove costly.
Ulueren’s comments came as Ankara commemorates the second anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Turkey, orchestrated by FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ulueren said the FETO has global ambitions to model governments after the thoughts of its founder Fetullah Gulen, a fugitive from justice in the U.S., who the envoy said calls himself the "imam of the world."
“It would be a huge mischaracterization to think of Gulen as a peaceful Islamic scholar and preacher,” according to the envoy.
“These Gulen followers constitute a typical case of radicalization by a cult of personality. They believe that Gulen is the ‘messiah’ and that they are the ‘golden generation.’
“Their loyalty is to him alone, making them violate any legal, religious, or ethical code in order to advance the interests of this group. The Fetullah Terrorist Organization is a next-generation terrorist group that is based on hypocrisy, concealment and secrecy.”
Ulueren said Turkey was right to crack down on the group's networks following the defeated coup, insisting that FETO had (in the guise of civic engagement) penetrated every critical sector of society through subterfuge.
Under the guise of legitimate social service efforts, Gulen and his followers gained access to vast financial resources, human capital, and political and social influence.
-Dirty money, abuse of power
Such vast wealth and influence was not accumulated through legally conducted business, said Ulueren. It involved money laundering, bribing, and operations through shady firms.
It also involved destroying rivals through abusing state authority, which they acquired by infiltrating state structures, including the police, judiciary, and finance.
“Let me say this loud and clear: FETO is a mafia-like cultish organization, with clandestine political aims. The Turkish government rightfully takes necessary and proportional measures to suppress and eventually defeat this imminent threat,” said Ulueren.
“We are faced with a global enterprise, with global aspirations of power and dominance. FETO is present in more than 160 countries around the world, through schools, NGOs, lobbyists, and companies.
"Through their educational efforts, they provide scholarships. Later, they specifically target these children whom they provide with scholarships and indoctrinate them.
"Then they encourage them to join the public service. The aim here is to infiltrate the public sector so as to influence the politics in line with their agenda."
He added: “Their actions in Turkey should be considered a wake-up call to other countries ...Turkey understands the needs of Nigerian students and their families. To prevent the closure of these schools, the Turkish Maarif Foundation, a public foundation, was established in 2016.
“The aim of the Maarif Foundation is to assume the ownership of the schools but never to close them. Nigerian teachers will keep their jobs, with a probable reasonable increase in salaries. The Maarif Foundation so far took over [FETO] schools in a number of countries with a view to providing better education to students.”