The Nigerian Army has strongly denied reports circulating online about the death of its Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, labeling the claims as “fake news.” The Army dismissed these rumors through an official statement released on its X (formerly Twitter) account, urging the public to ignore the false information.
The online reports, which surfaced on Sunday, alleged that Lt. Gen. Lagbaja had passed away in an undisclosed hospital abroad about 48 hours earlier. The unverified report claimed that the Chief of Army Staff died from stage three cancer, citing an unnamed senior government official as the source. It further suggested that news of his death had been kept secret due to intense lobbying among Army Generals vying for his position.
However, the Nigerian Army quickly moved to discredit these claims, emphasizing that they are baseless and misleading. The statement from the Army read: “Please, disregard the rumors circulating about the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja. The false reports purported by unverifiable sources are baseless and misleading. The public is advised to rely on credible sources for information and disregard such misinformation from unreliable sources.”
The Army urged the public to remain cautious about unverified reports, stressing the importance of accurate and reliable information. Lt. Gen. Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed as the 27th Chief of Army Staff by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023. The Army emphasized that he remains in his position and that the leadership of the Nigerian Army is stable.
The Presidency also reacted to the false reports. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser for Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, took to his X platform to address the issue. He dismissed the rumors, citing a statement from the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.
Onanuga wrote, “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.”
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He further clarified that Lt. Gen. Lagbaja had followed standard protocol before proceeding on leave, appointing Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), to act on his behalf during his absence.
The Army’s and the Presidency’s statements aim to reassure Nigerians and emphasize the need for credible information. Both the Army and the Presidency stressed that the false rumors were an attempt to mislead the public and create unnecessary tension within the country.
The incident has highlighted the importance of verifying news from reliable sources before accepting or spreading information, especially when it concerns the health and leadership of high-ranking officials. The Nigerian Army continues to assert its commitment to transparency and urges the public to avoid being swayed by unverified reports.