The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Friday rejected the views of the President of Turkey Recep Erdoğan over his comments regarding the presence of Turkish terrorists in Nigeria.
Mr Erdogan had said during his trip to Nigeria earlier in the week that he was aware there were terrorists in Nigeria who plotted his removal from office.
However, the Muslim group said in a statement by its director Prof. Ishaq Akintola that Erdogan’s claims were baseless.
“We take the Turkish president’s allegation that there are Turkish terrorists in Nigeria with a pinch of salt. It is false, baseless and of no consequence whatsoever,” the statement read.
“We are aware of the existence of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the country but we reject the attempt to label innocent Turkish citizens as terrorists just because there is a political difference between them and their president.”
Despite the criticism, the group said it acknowledged Erdogan’s role as a leading mouthpiece of the Muslim world and a “stout defender of Islam.”
According to the Islamic rights group, the group Erdogan calls terrorists are impacting the lives of Muslims in the country.
“They have been in this country for more than 20 years (even before Erdogan became Prime Minister) and some of the institutions established by them in Nigeria are two decades old already. A coup that allegedly occurred in Turkey five years ago while these people were still in Nigeria should not be hanged on their necks,” the statement added.
