Qur’anic Reciters of Nigeria Raise Alarm Over Turkey’s Espionage


Date posted: February 18, 2017

Taofeek Lawal

The centre for Qur’anic reciters of Nigeria has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the Turkish government to register a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria, Ma’arif foundation, which will among other things, be used as an espionage agency.

The Kano-based Islamic group also cautioned the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against its planned involvement with the government of President Recep Erdogan of Turkey in the setting up of the NGO in some Muslim countries, saying such a body could end up as a vehicle for spreading intolerance and extremism in the world.

The general secretary and CEO of the center, Sheikh Goni Sanusi Abubakar, in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday, alleged that beyond its declared mission, the incorporation of the Ma’arif foundation in Nigeria will take over foreign investments of Turkish nationals with whom the government of Turkey politically disagrees with, pointing out that though it may appear harmless on the surface, with the stated intention of granting scholarships to Muslims from poor homes to gain acceptance, its real intentions were beyond that.

“It was courtesy of this culture of intolerance that clerics in Turkey instigated Muslim youths to rise against Christians and ensure Christmas and New Year were not celebrated in that country. This led to the massacre on New Year’s Eve in Istanbul, with tens of innocent people losing their lives. This, clearly, is against the teaching of Islam, a religion of peace, who’s Holy Prophet embraced Christians and lived in absolute peace with them.

“In Prophet Muhammad’s Treaty with Christians, he instructed Muslims to regard Christians as their own, protect their places of worship and guarantee them peaceful life.

“If Nigeria allows Ma’arif or any such group in whatever nomenclature into Nigeria, chances are that the culture of intolerance that will be induced could well make Boko Haram a child’s play. This may sound far-fetched, but then 10 years ago, nobody thought Boko Haram was going to grow to become the big monster it has become.

“Things like this should never be taken for granted. What Nigeria needs is peace, not any dubious group coming through the backdoor to cause anarchy by exploiting the fractious social fault lines in the country,” the statement noted.

The center also accused Turkey of undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty by engaging in acts of espionage through Diyanet, the country’s directorate of religious affairs. It alleged that on the directives of the Turkish government, Diyanet has been engaging in spying activities through some Imams in Nigeria, Germany and 36 other countries.

“Whereas this criminal activity is purportedly aimed at tracking the activities of the followers of US-based Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, chances are that Turkey will leverage on that fact to partake in other acts of espionage that may undermine or threaten our national interest.

“Hurriyet Daily News, a major newspaper that fully supports the policies and actions of Turkish President Erdogan, published this disturbing news on its website: www.hurriyetdailynews.com. Though the publication is now almost a month old, the Turkish government has not issued a rebuttal, which means the story is true.

“Germany, being one of the countries spied on, is not taking the matter lightly. It has since commissioned an investigation into the matter. Nigeria and other African countries mentioned in the report should waste no time in doing same.

“It is our hope that the Nigerian authorities will take this warning seriously and act with the needed dispatch, before it gets late. We simply cannot afford another insurgency, which actions of these countries is bound to result to (God forbid),” Abubakar emphasised.

Related News

Turkey’s Maarif schools to be funded by Saudi and IDB money

ISIS ‘Infiltrates’ Erdogan’s Maarif Foundation

 

Source: Leadership , February 13, 2017

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Turkish aid organizations deliver clean water to 20 million

NİHAT POLAT, İSTANBUL As Turkey continues to help struggling African countries, many Turkish aid foundations are working to resolve Africa’s long-standing water supply problem by digging wells in countries across the continent. So far more than 20 million people in Africa and elsewhere have gained access to clean water thanks to the humanitarian work of […]

‘A very good representative of the best in Islam, Hizmet contributes to the non-Muslim world’s understanding of Islam’

Hizmet seems to me to be a very good representative of the best in Islam, in terms of being open, feeling a responsibility to the world, and the pluralism that is evidenced in the Koran, which tells us to respect all the prophets and all the people of the book.

Turkish, Arab intellectuals meet around Hira in Cairo

CUMALİ ÖNAL , CARIO Turkey’s first and only Arabic magazine, Hira, whose name refers to the cave where the Prophet Muhammad first received revelations from God, has brought together prominent figures from Egypt and the Arab world. Many academics, journalists, opinion leaders, writers, high-level officials, religious leaders and scientists attended a meeting organized by Hira […]

The Hizmet Movement: ‘Terrorist’ or Terrorised?

In the end, when analysing this most recent coup attempt, and judging the Hizmet movement or Fethullah Gulen’s involvement comes down to the simple fact that Hizmet activity revolves around education, charity and dialogue, and underpinning all of its work are love, compassion, equality and positive engagement. Essentially, this is epitomised in the fact that the turkish word ‘Hizmet’ literally means ‘service’.

US, Gülen to trigger artificial earthquake(!) in İstanbul, Ankara mayor says

Ankara’s mayor Melih Gökçek claimed in series of tweets from his personal account on Saturday that external powers, including the US, is planning to trigger a artificial eartquake in İstanbul along theGülen Movement. “I had said FETO and US expects an earthquake in İstanbul in August 14 similar to the Gölcük eartquake in 1999. I ruined their plan after revealing in TVs. But the propoganda continues. The plan was to trigger an earthquake in İstanbul to destroy Turkey’s economy as US promised to FETO,” Gökçek wrote.

Gov’t discriminates against Hizmet-affiliated private schools

Some private schools affiliated with the Hizmet movement, a faith-based social movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, have been prevented from accessing government incentives. According to an official list published by the Education Ministry on Monday, many high-achieving private schools did not make the cut to be eligible for financial aid from the government.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

‘If I had the power, I would let Turks take charge of our schools’

NATO Secretary Rasmussen praises the Turkish schools in Afghanistan

The demise of Turkish democracy

Grondahl: Turkish community strong in wake of threats from back home

An Armenian from Turkey in Los Angeles (2)

Election results and the Hizmet movement

Turkish authorities use charges of terrorism to silence free speech

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News