The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has responded to recent claims by Turkey’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, regarding the alleged operation of a terrorist group within Nigerian borders.
Poroy, while speaking during Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day, alleged that members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), a group outlawed in Turkey, had migrated and were operating in Nigeria under the guise of running educational and healthcare institutions.
According to him, “The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates… particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.”
Reacting to the claim on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said the Defence Headquarters does not treat the ambassador’s comments as an official position or a verified security threat.
“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 said.
He stressed that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and fully capable of making its own assessments on matters of national security and terrorism without foreign interference.
“Nigeria is an independent sovereign nation that can think and act for itself,” he added.
While acknowledging the country’s international ties, Kangye warned against uncritically accepting foreign claims that have not been corroborated by Nigeria’s own intelligence community. He emphasized that security decisions would be based solely on Nigeria’s internal assessments and strategic interests.
“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,” he said.
Kangye cautioned that such foreign comments could be part of efforts to influence public perception or policy.
“There are propagandists all over the world. Psychological oppressions go on everywhere. That’s why we must be vigilant,” he said.
