Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja
By Victory Oghene
The Nigerian Army has refuted reports by International Journalist and publisher of Pointblanknews, Jackson Ude that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja has died.
The Army debunked a report posted on X by the Nigerian born, US based journalist announcing the death of the Army chief.
The journalist claimed that Lagbaja had died of cancer 48 hours ago.
The post read, “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. Lagbaja died in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48hrs ago from a 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”
Reacting to the post on X, the Nigerian Army marked it as fake news.
However, sources at the Army Headquarters confirmed to our correspondent that the Army Chief was critically ill.
One of the sources said, “ COAS is not dead. He is only critically ill at the moment. We should be praying for him at this critical time and not spreading rumours that he died. “
Another source said he was out of the country to treat himself.
“ He is out of the country for treatment. And I have not heard of his death from anyone around him. There is no way such information could be hidden.”
Ude insisted that the Army chief had passed on and dared the army to produce a one second video of the Army chief on his sick bed.
His post read “We are entering the late President Musa Yar’Adua era again. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. If the Army says it’s “fake news”, let them produce a one second video of General Lagbaja on his sick bed.
“General Lagbaja is paid with tax payers money and the tax payers deserve to know where the recipient of their tax money is. Not all the unnecessary denials. Enough of the game already”
Efforts by NATIONAL WAVES to make the director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu react to the latest development met a brickwall as his line was unreachable as at time of filing this report.
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