Nigerian NGOs rally against FETÖ-linked schools

A group of Nigerian nongovernmental organizations have called upon the Nigerian government to act against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which runs a school network in the African country. FETÖ, blamed for the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey as well as a string of other crimes, is tied to a global network of companies and schools, all the way from Africa to the far corners of Asia.

Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) and Centre for Global Peace Initiative (CGPI) officials held a joint press conference about the FETÖ presence in the country and told reporters how the terrorist group operated in the country. They warned Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, against the "hostile" group.

Buna Olaitan Isiak, the National Coordination of HURMA, said the terrorist group operated Nigeria's Turkish International Colleges but changed its name to Tulip International Colleges after the coup attempt in Turkey, apparently in an attempt to cover its ties to the terrorist group.

Isiak claimed that the schools sought to extort money from the families of students under the name of donations. FETÖ is known for its "himmet" scheme in which followers are forced to donate a fraction of their revenues to the group. The funds, supposed to be used in charity work, are used to finance FETÖ enterprises, Turkish prosecutors say. Isiak said a majority of teachers employed at FETÖ schools do not follow Nigeria's education and employment regulations.

Yekeen Ayinde, a representative of CGPI, said FETÖ's followers in Nigeria sent $2 million to coup plotters in Turkey.

"(The terrorist group) used Nigeria as one of its foreign bases to coordinate the coup. It is unprecedented in Nigerian history that a group would dare to attempt to topple a foreign government," Ayinde said.

Ayinde added that the Nigerian administration is responsible for the protection of the people "against a (FETÖ) threat" and should immediately launch an investigation into the group's wrongdoings. He also called for the handover of FETÖ-linked schools to Turkey.

Nigeria is one of the African countries where FETÖ has allegedly wielded broad influence thanks to the large number of companies and schools it operates and its close ties with local officials.