Nigeria will not be dictated to on security matters – Defence Headquarters replies Turkey over FETO claim

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said Nigeria remains a sovereign nation capable of making its own decisions on security and counterterrorism, rejecting recent claims by the Turkish government that members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) are operating in the country under the cover of educational and healthcare institutions.

Turkey considers FETO, a movement linked to exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, a terrorist organisation and has long sought global support in dismantling its perceived operations abroad.

At a dinner in Abuja on Tuesday to mark Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day, Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, alleged that FETO maintains an active presence in Nigeria. He warned that the group posed a threat to any country where it operated, especially in the sectors of education and healthcare.

Poroy said Turkey continues to share intelligence with Nigerian authorities on FETO’s activities and urged Abuja to remain “vigilant and cautious.”

But responding on Thursday while briefing journalists on ongoing military operations across the country, Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, dismissed the Turkish envoy’s comments as unofficial and unverified.

“Information from the person you are talking about, as far as the Defence Headquarters is concerned, is an unofficial announcement. Everybody is free to say whatever they want. There is freedom of information,” Kangye said.

He insisted that Nigeria will not be swayed by external claims that are not backed by its own intelligence or aligned with national security interests.

“Nigeria is an independent, sovereign nation that can think and act for itself,” he stressed.

While acknowledging Nigeria’s diplomatic and military ties with foreign nations, Kangye warned against accepting narratives from abroad that may lack credibility or could threaten national unity.

“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 added.

Kangye further cautioned against the growing wave of global disinformation and psychological warfare, suggesting that such foreign assertions could be part of broader strategic agendas.

“There are propagandists all over the world. Psychological operations go on everywhere. That’s why we must be vigilant,” he noted.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s stance on terrorism, he said the country will continue to tackle threats based on its national priorities and internal intelligence framework, not foreign pressure.

“Nigeria will fight terrorism on its own terms. While we value our allies, our security decisions will always reflect our sovereign interest,” Kangye said.