The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has berated the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asking him to stop prosecuting opposition leader back home in Turkey.
MURIC berated the president ahead of his arrival in Nigeria today, Monday, on a state visit.
The Muslim rights group, in a statement signed by its director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, accused Erdogan of arbitrary arrest, torture, political killings, long imprisonment of opposition figures and critics, particularly members of the Hizmet Movement.
The President is expected to sign some business deals with the Nigerian government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
And MURIC claimed that Erdogan’s visit leaves a sour taste in the mouth because of his alleged undemocratic and tyrannical practices back home in Turkey.
“He cooked up a phantom coup on 15th July, 2016 to justify sweeping changes to the constitution and he arrogated extensive powers to himself as president,” MURIC said.
“What followed was arbitrary arrest, torture, political killings, long imprisonment of opposition figures and critics, particularly members of the Hizmet Movement”.
“Travelling documents of key members of Hizmet were seized, and their properties were confiscated. They were thrown in jail in their thousands without fair trial. Members of the group who were outside Turkey were disallowed from returning”.
“Though Hizmet is not a political movement that could threaten his position, yet like all dictators and tyrants, Erdogan was envious of the
group because the latter had become extremely popular”.
“Erdogan uses its diplomats in Nigeria to haunt Turkish citizens and members of the Hizmet Movement who are rendering humanitarian
services in the country. They were declared persona non grata in Turkey and disallowed to enter their country of origin. Their travelling documents were seized, thereby denying them right of return”.
“Erdogan also uses his diplomats in Nigeria to label members of the Hizmet as terrorists. This is a very wicked attempt to push Nigerian
security agencies to arrest, intimidate and unduely punish innocent refugees and asylum seekers”, MURIC addded.
