The Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-General Olufemi Oluyede, has described the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Taoreed Lagbaja, as a “dogged, gallant and extremely dedicated leader.”
General Oluyede, in a statement by the army’s spokesman, Maj.-General Onyema Nwachukwu, on Wednesday, said Lagbaja “gave his all to the service of our dear nation,” which was evident in his dedication to duty and the legacies he has left behind.
The statement reads: The Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has paid a condolence visit to Mrs Mariya Lagbaja and other family members of the late Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, Nigeria’s 23rd Chief of Army Staff who passed on Tuesday 5th November 2024 after a brief illness.
“Gen Oluyede paid the condolence on Wednesday 6 November 2024, at the Flag Staff House, Niger Barracks Abuja, accompanied by Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders, and General Officers Commanding of the Nigerian Army.
“Paying tribute to the late COAS, Gen Oluyede extolled his gallantry, dedication, and legacies throughout his service years in the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces of Nigeria in general.
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“In a succinct message penned in the condolence register opened in honour of the late COAS, the Acting COAS stated, “It is with a huge sense of loss, albeit responsibility that I, on behalf of the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army commiserate with Mrs Mariya Lagbaja, the children and the entire Lagbaja clan over the passing of our dogged, gallant and extremely dedicated leader Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja (Nigerian Army Medal) the Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army. Lt Gen Lagbaja, without doubt, gave his all to the service of our dear nation.
”This was evident in his dedication to duty and the legacies he has left behind. We only take solace in the fact that we cannot in any way querry the Almighty. We surely owe him a whole lot. Rest in peace, our leader and hero. You will surely be missed. “
Lagbaja was on June 19, 2023 appointed Chief of Army Staff by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and fully assumed command of the Nigerian Army as the 23rd COAS on June 23, 2023.
A seasoned Infantry officer, Lagbaja, was commissioned in 1992 as a member of the 39 Regular Combatant Course of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
