Nigeria mourns the passing of Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff, who died at age 56. His death was confirmed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Wednesday.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, shared his condolences, noting Lagbaja’s death on Tuesday night in Lagos following a brief illness. Appointed as Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023, Lt. Gen. Lagbaja was widely respected for his strategic leadership.
Born on February 28, 1968, Taoreed Lagbaja began his military journey at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987, graduating in 1992 and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Infantry Corps. Throughout his 30-year career, he held several key roles, from platoon commander in the 93 Battalion and 72 Special Forces Battalion to leading critical security operations, including Operation ZAKI in Benue, Lafiya Dole in Borno, and Operation Forest Sanity in Kaduna and Niger.
Lt. Gen. Lagbaja, a U.S. Army War College graduate with a Master’s in Strategic Studies, leaves behind a legacy of dedication to national security. He is survived by his wife, Mariya, and their two children.
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President Tinubu commended the general’s service and extended heartfelt sympathies to his family and the Nigerian Armed Forces, calling Lagbaja’s contributions invaluable to the nation.
