Turkey has asked Nigeria to close all schools and colleges that it says are associated with US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of sponsoring the 15 July failed coup to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Nigeria’s Daily Trust reports.
Turky’s ambassador Hakan Cakil said a request had been made to shut 17 education institutions:
We have formally and verbally made our demand to the Nigerian government through the Foreign Affairs Minister.
ABOVE PHOT: A police officer stands next to an armoured vehicle that was used by soldiers during the coup attempt at Taksim square in Istanbul on July 17, 2016 as Loyalist forces put down the coup attempt that rocked the country this month
When the attempted coup in Turkey unfolded, Nigerians debated the issue vigorously on social media, mostly condemning it.
And yesterday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs visited the Turkish ambassador in Nigeria to show their support for democracy in Turkey.
Addressing the MPs, Ambassador Hakan Cakil called on the Nigerian government to close down 17 Turkish schools in the country.
They were linked, he said, to the alleged mastermind of the coup plot, Fethullah Gulen.
Mr Cakil said he had sent a letter to that effect to Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs.
Closing these schools may be difficult because of the impact it will have on students.
But Turkey is very influential in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
All the schools in Nigeria belong to the Gulen movement and not the Turkish government. They are using the schools to recruit followers for terrorism. This is threatening the peace in our country as they are using funds they are generating in Nigeria for terrorism.”
Mr. Cemal Yigit, the spokesman of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, said he was unaware of the request, but it would not surprise him:
It is so unfortunate that the smear attack is even reaching Nigeria. Nigeria is a sovereign country and [it] is as if the Turkish Ambassador has the luxury of giving Nigerian authorities instructions…”
He said that college employed 2,000 Nigerians.
Earlier this month, Turkey’s announced that it would be taking over Gulen-linked schools and hospitals in Somalia after putting pressure on the government to expel its Turkish staff.
Mr Gulen has denied being involved in the coup plot
The deputy chairman of the committee, Shehu Sani, told the BBC that given the allegations the ambassador made – that the schools were used to “train terrorists” – Nigeria must investigate the matter before taking any action.
As for the government, it has yet to comment.