Army HQ Breaks Silence, Denies Rumours About Chief of Army Staff’s Death

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

The Gift of Hindsight: What I Would Tell My Younger Self, By Johnson Babalola

By Johnson Babalola @jbdlaw Hindsight, they say, is life’s most generous teacher—but it sends its lessons late. It is only after the storms that the patterns become clear; only after the wrong turns that the map begins to make sense. As I celebrate another birthday today and have grown older, I often find myself reflecting…

Gasoline Prices Drop Toward Pandemic-Era Lows

The national average price of gasoline dropped below $3 a gallon over the weekend. GasBuddy has predicted that prices will go even lower in the coming weeks, with good prospects of motorists enjoying sub-$3 prices for extended periods. This drop is overwhelmingly being driven by the significant increase in oil production from OPEC throughout 2025.…

Alleged Christian Genocide Claim is Damaging Nigeria’s Image– Tuggar Laments

By Abiola Olawale Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has voiced concern over what he described as the damaging impact of the "Christian genocide" narrative on Nigeria's international image. This is as the Minister claimed that the country's complex security challenges are being falsely simplified as religious persecution. Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit…

Ad

By Abiola Olawale

The Nigerian Army has vehemently dismissed reports claiming that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has passed away.

The army, in a statement posted on its official X handle, described the reports as fake news.

It would be recalled that on Sunday rumours emerged that Lagbaja purportedly passed away in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago due to stage three cancer.

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.

However, the Army has debunked the reports, urging the public to disregard any unverified reports regarding the health or status of its leadership.

Similarly, the Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed 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.”

It would also be recalled that the Nigerian Army, on Sunday, declared that Lagbaja is on leave and that he is receiving treatment over an undisclosed illness.

Disclosing this development, the Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, said there is a laid down process that ensures no vacuum in the leadership structure.

Nwachukwu said the Army Chief of Policy and Plans, Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, is already acting on behalf of the COAS during his absence.

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.

Ad

X whatsapp