The President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, says the ‘terrorists’ who tried to remove him through a coup in 2016 are still active in Nigeria.
Erdogan said this on Wednesday at a joint press conference with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the occasion of his two-day official visit to the country.
Recall that Erdogan had in 2016 accused allies of renowned cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who own Turkish schools and hospitals across Nigeria, of sponsoring the coup.
Turkish envoy in Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Cakil, had at the time called on Buhari to close the Turkish schools and hospitals in Nigeria belonging to a group of private Turkish investors who are inspired by the philosophy of the Hizmet movement.
The Nigerian government had, however, rejected the proposal, causing tension between both countries.
In what appears to be a reconciliatory move, Erdogan on Wednesday told Buhari that his administration would share intelligence with Nigerian authorities.
He said, “As Turkey, we have been closely monitoring the development in Nigeria, our brotherly and friendly nation. The terrorist organisations, the armed gangs and the marine vendors are continuously active in Nigeria and the Nigerian authorities are continuously fighting them.
Source: Punch
