The Nigerian Army has firmly denied rumours circulating about the death of its Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja.
The rumours began after a tweet from a journalist claimed that the general had died from cancer in an undisclosed overseas hospital.
The tweet, posted at 12:49 pm, read: “CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF DIES OF CANCER. 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.”
In response, the Nigerian Army quickly labelled Ude’s tweet as “FAKE NEWS” on X (formerly Twitter) and has consistently denied any reports regarding General Lagbaja’s alleged illness.
On Saturday, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army spokesperson, dismissed the media reports suggesting there is a leadership vacuum following Lagbaja’s absence, clarifying that the general is simply on official leave. He also noted that Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), has been appointed to act on Lagbaja’s behalf during his leave.
Nwachukwu emphasised that there is no disruption to the Nigerian Army’s operations.
“There have even been insinuations that there is a leadership vacuum, with officers confused about what to do. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.
“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 was away.”
He further pointed out that there have been instances in the past where service chiefs were away for extended periods, and their deputies managed the service effectively in their absence.
“Claims of a leadership vacuum in the NA at present are therefore mere speculation, as all routine and scheduled activities of the service are on course.”
Nwachukwu reassured the public that all departmental chiefs are fully carrying out their responsibilities as per the directives of the Chief of Army Staff.