The Nigerian Army has dismissed online media speculations claiming that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died due to stage three cancer, describing the reports as fake news which should be ignored.
Penpushing reports that the army headquarters faulted the claim through its official X handle, @HQNigerianArmy, calling the public to disregard the circulating online report about the death of the army chief
“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 is baseless and misleading. The public are advised to rely on credible sources for information and disregard such misinformation from unreliable sources’
The false reports purported by unverifiable sources is baseless and misleading. The public are advised to rely on credible sources for information and disregard such misinformation from unreliable sources’, the statement read
Penpushing further reports that the presidency reacting, through the Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga via his X Platform equally dismissed the alleged death of Lagbaja.
“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. Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols’, Onanuga wrote
“To be very clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances. Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS while he is away’, he added
Penpushing also reports that sources at the Army Headquarters, however, confirmed that the Army Chief was critically ill, calling the general public to pray vehemently for him to survive the ailment which was not made known
“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. 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’, the source added
Penpushing reports that it is recalled that the online report emphasized that Lagbaja died 48 hours ago in an undisclosed hospital outside the country from stage three cancer, adding that the authorities kept the information secret by some Army Generals seeking to assume his position
The Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, on Saturday, circulated a statement that the Chief of Army Staff was on leave and also attending to his health outside the country adding that there was no leadership vacuum in the Nigerian Army
Penpushing further reports that Nwachukwu said while some of the stories were laughable and deserved no further reference, others had bordered on pure mischief calculated to cause panic and confusion within the rank and file, as well as the general public.
‘To be very clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances. 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 (Taoreed Lagbaja), while he is away, he said.
“This is not peculiar to the army as there have been instances where unforeseen human frailty kept service chiefs away for about three months, and their Chiefs of Policy and Plans held sway in their absence.
“The Army Headquarters, therefore, enjoins the general public to remain confident in the Nigerian Army 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 land territory’, he stated
‘Meanwhile, the Army Headquarters wishes to thank all well-meaning Nigerians who have shown genuine concern about Lt.-Gen.T. A. Lagbaja and have continued to pray for him’, Nwachukwu emphasised.
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