Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, passed away at the age of 56, according to President Bola Tinubu.
Following a period of illness, Lagbaja died Tuesday night in Lagos, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga. However, he kept the disease a secret.
During this trying moment, President Tinubu sent his deepest sympathies to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He honored Lt. Gen. Lagbaja’s important achievements to the country and wished him eternal peace.
Following Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who passed away in 2021 after only a few months in office, Lagbaja is the second Chief of Army Staff to pass away in the recent three years.
Lagbaja, who was born on February 28, 1968, was appointed Chief of Army Staff by President Tinubu in June 2023 and held the role for a year and four months.
Enrolling in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987 marked the beginning of his military career. He joined the 39th Regular Course and received his appointment as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Infantry Corps on September 19, 1992.
Additionally, Lt. Gen. Lagbaja commanded platoons in the 72 Special Forces Battalion and the 93 Battalion.
He was a key player in many internal security operations, such as Operation Forest Sanity in Kaduna and Niger States, Lafiya Dole in Borno, Udoka in Southeast Nigeria, and Operation ZAKI in Benue State.
He graduated with a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the esteemed U.S. Army War College, proving his commitment to career advancement and superior military leadership.
His cherished wife, Mariya, and their two kids survive Lt. Gen. Lagbaja.
Rumors circulated earlier in late October that the Chief of Army Staff had passed away in an unidentified foreign hospital. The rumors were promptly refuted by Defence Headquarters, who insisted that the CAS was on yearly leave.
While maintaining that there was no leadership void in the Army, Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu also stated in a statement on October 20 that Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), had been prepared to represent the COAS in his absence.
He had emphasized that the service’s operations were unaffected by Lagbaja’s absence.
Officers are unsure of what to do, and there have even been hints that there is a leadership void. Nwachukwu had stated that nothing could be further from the truth.
To put it simply, the Nigerian Army is a highly organized organization with established protocols and methods for handling various situations. Prior to leaving, the appropriate procedures were established so that Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), could represent the COAS during his absence.
This is not unique to the NA; in other cases, service chiefs were absent for roughly three months due to unanticipated human frailty, and their Chiefs of Policy and Plans took over in their place. Therefore, claims that there is currently a leadership void in the NA are unfounded because all of the service’s planned and regular operations are proceeding as planned.
As Lagbaja’s absence persisted, Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede was named Acting Chief of Army Staff by President Tinubu on October 30.
According to him, Oluyede will remain in power as COAS till Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja returns. At the time, he was reportedly ill and seeking treatment overseas.
“Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede has been appointed as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” Onanuga said in a statement.
“Oluyede will assume the role until Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, the substantive Chief of Army Staff, returns.”
Oluyede received a Lieutenant General decoration from President Tinubu on Tuesday after being appointed Acting Chief of Army Staff.
Oluyede would succeed Lagbaja as the substantive army chief if the Senate confirms him.
Oluyede was the 56th Commander of the Nigerian Army’s elite Infantry Corps, stationed at Jaji, Kaduna, prior to his appointment.
Both Lagbaja and Oluyede, both 56, were classmates in the 39th Regular Course.
In 1992, he received his second lieutenant commission, which took effect in 1987. In September 2020, he was promoted to Major General.
Since being commissioned as an officer, Oluyede has occupied numerous positions of authority. He held the positions of Commandant Amphibious Training School, Staff Officer Guards Brigade, Company Commander at 177 Guards Battalion, and Platoon Commander and adjutant at 65 Battalion.
Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Mission in Liberia, and Operation HADIN KAI in the North East theater of operations, where he led 27 Task Force Brigade, were among the missions in which General Oluyede took part.
Oluyede has received numerous accolades for his deserving work in a variety of operational domains. These consist of the Grand Service Star, the Corps Medal of Honor, the Passing the Staff Course, and National Institute membership.
