On Sunday, the Nigerian Army denied reports circulating about the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.
These claims originated from a social media post by a Nigerian journalist, which quickly went viral.
The journalist alleged that Lagbaja had succumbed to cancer 48 hours prior.
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The post read: “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. Lagbaja died in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago from stage three cancer, according to a senior government official.
“The death of the Chief of Army Staff has been kept secret due to intense lobbying by some generals who wish to take the position.
“Lagbaja, born on 28 February 1968 in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff.”
In response to the post on X, the Nigerian Army dismissed it as fake news.
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However, sources at Army Headquarters have confirmed that the Army Chief is critically ill.
One source stated, “The COAS is not dead. He is only critically ill at the moment. We should be praying for him at this critical time and not spreading rumours of his death.”
Another source indicated that he had traveled abroad for medical treatment.
“He is out of the country for treatment. I have not heard of his death from anyone close to him. There is no way such information could be hidden.”
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