Victor Ezeja
The Nigerian Army headquarters has described as “fake news,” the reports of purported death of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja.
A Nigerian investigative journalist on Sunday took to the social media to announce that the Chief of Army Staff died in an undisclosed hospital abroad. Attributing the source of the information to an unnamed government official, the journalist claimed that the COAS allegedly died from stage-three cancer.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe accused the military authorities of keeping the alleged death of the COAS secret.
His statement reads: “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. Lagbaja died in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago from stage three Cancer, according to a senior Government official.
“The death of the Chief of Army Staff has been kept secret because of intense lobbying by some Generals who want to take the position.
“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.”
However, the Nigerian Army in a post on X on Sunday, labeled the online report as “fake news.”
It urged the public to disregard false reports circulating on social media about the purported death of Lagbaja, adding that it is “baseless and misleading.”
Also reacting to the news, Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in a statement via X quoted the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, saying that the Chief of Army Staff, went on leave and properly handed over to the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, to act on his behalf while he is away.
“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.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
