The Nigerian Army has strongly denied rumors circulating about the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, dismissing the claims as false and baseless.
In a statement released via its official X handle, @HQNigerianArmy, the Army addressed an online report that surfaced on Sunday, which falsely claimed that the Chief of Army Staff had died of cancer in an overseas hospital nearly 48 hours ago, according to an unnamed senior government official. The report also alleged that the news was being concealed due to internal lobbying by senior Army officers for his position.
In response, the Army Headquarters clarified: “Please disregard the rumors about the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja. These false reports, sourced from unverifiable outlets, are misleading and unfounded.”
The Nigerian Army urged the public to rely on credible and verified sources of information and warned against believing misinformation from unreliable platforms.
Lt. Gen. Lagbaja, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff, continues to serve in his role. Born on February 28, 1968, in Ilobu, Osun State, he remains active in his duties.
In addition, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, also reacted to the false claims via his X account. He quoted Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, who firmly debunked the reports.
Onanuga emphasized the structured nature of the Nigerian Army, explaining that Lt. Gen. Lagbaja had followed all proper protocols before proceeding on leave, with Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim acting on his behalf during his absence.
Both the Army Headquarters and the Presidency called for calm and stressed the importance of sourcing information from credible outlets to avoid the spread of misleading reports.
