The Nigerian Army and presidency have dismissed speculations claiming that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. With a note of emphasis, the Army Headquarters described the report as fake news, lacking in substance.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Nigerian Army and the presidency have dismissed speculations claiming that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. With a note of emphasis, the Army Headquarters described the report as fake news, lacking in substance.
A certain online portal had been circulating a report without precise attribution to any source, alleging that Lagbaja had died of cancer in an unnamed foreign hospital.
The headquarter via its official X handle, @HQNigerianArmy, dismissed the report that circulated on Sunday.
The report claimed that Lt. Gen. Lagbaja passed away in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago due to stage three cancer, quoting an unnamed senior government official.
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Furthermore, the report alleged that the news of the Chief of Army Staff’s death had been kept secret due to intense lobbying by some Army Generals seeking to assume his position.
But describing the report as fake, the army said: “Please, disregard the rumors circulating about the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.
“The false reports purported by unverifiable sources is baseless and misleading.
“The public is advised to rely on credible sources for information and disregard such misinformation from unreliable sources.”
Lt. Gen. Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff. The Army Headquarters continues to assert the importance of accurate information and has urged the public to disregard any unverified reports regarding the health or status of its leadership.
Presidency reacts
Also reacting, Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga via his X Platform dismissed the alleged death of Lagbaja.
He said: “Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu has dismissed fake reports about the chief of army staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja.
“To be very clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances. Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS while he is away,”.