Army HQ debunks death rumour amid concerns about wellbeing of COAS

Concerns are mounting over the long absence of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, who has been confirmed ill. The situation has triggered anxiety and murmuring within the military circle and Nigerians on social media space, as rumours that he might have passed on pervade.

But dismissing the speculations that the COAS has died as fake news, the Nigerian Army Headquarters urged Nigerians to disregard the rumour. The three-star General’s absence became conspicuous after he missed the October 1, 2024, Independence celebrations at the Presidential Villa. Since then, he has also missed other major military and national events, including the burial of the late Director of Army Legal Services, Maj-Gen Seidu Musa.

Army spokesman, Maj-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, debunked the rumour on Saturday, saying he was on leave. Nwachukwu stated, “Recently, the media space, especially social media, was awash with stories, rumours and innuendoes about happenings in the Nigerian Army (NA). While some of these are laughable and deserve no further reference, others bordered on pure mischief calculated to cause panic and confusion within the rank and file, as well as the general public.

“Specifically, many insinuations about personnel postings, promotions and even training activities have been raised vis-à-vis the official leave of the COAS. There have even been insinuations that there is a leadership vacuum, with officers confused about what to do. Nothing can be farther from the truth.”

According to him, the Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances. He added, “Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj-Gen Abdulsalami Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS, while he is away.”

The Army HQ, therefore, enjoined the public to remain confident in the NA and be assured that the service remains on top of the security situations in the country and is ever ready to defend Nigeria against any aggression on its territory.

As speculations and concerns mounted, some Nigerians blamed the Army for coming out late to make statements when the speculations were already rife about the health challenges of the COAS.

“If the health condition of the COAS is such that he couldn’t continue if discharged from the hospital, then the country needs a fresh Army chief because Nigeria is fighting wars against terrorists on different fronts and so we need a well-focused, healthy Army chief to give directives to the combatants.” National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, said.

A security expert, Frank Oshanugor, noted: “The authorities must be aware of his whereabouts; possibly he is indisposed and they do not want to make it public. That is my guess.”

The HQ, via its official X handle, @HQNigerianArmy, dismissed an online report that circulated on Sunday, stating, “Chief of Army Staff dies of cancer.” The report claimed that Lagbaja passed away in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago due to stage three cancer, according to a senior government official.

Further, the report alleged that the news of the Army chief’s death had been kept secret due to intense lobbying by some Army Generals seeking to assume his 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. Special Adviser, Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, via his X Platform dismissed the alleged death of Lagbaja.