Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has cancelled this week’s Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting in honour of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja, who died on Tuesday.
Lt. Gen. Lagbaja died from an undisclosed protracted illness, which had sidelined him from the performance of his official duties for months.
President Tinubu had earlier appointed an ‘acting’ CoAS, Brig General Olufemi Oluyede, who was later promoted and decorated with the rank of Lieutenant General.
Tinubu announced the rescheduling of the FEC, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has ordered rescheduling the Federal Executive Council meeting till another date to be announced.
“Initially scheduled for today, the council meeting was postponed in honour of Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, who passed away on Tuesday night.”
“General Lagbaja served as the Chief of Army Staff from June 19, 2023, till his death on November 5, 2024″ the statement by the president’s spokesman added.
ABOUT THE LATE LT. GENERAL LAGBAJA
lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was a highly respected figure within the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Born on February 28, 1968, Lt. Gen. Lagbaja began his military career at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987, completing his training in 1992. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Infantry Corps as a member of the 39th Regular Course.
He served as a platoon commander in the 93 Battalion and the 72 Special Forces Battalion, later commanding several key security operations across Nigeria. Notable among these were Operation ZAKI in Benue State, Lafiya Dole in Borno State, Udoka in Southeast Nigeria, and Operation Forest Sanity, a critical initiative targeting criminal groups in Kaduna and Niger States.
A committed scholar and military strategist, Lt. Gen. Lagbaja attended the U.S. Army War College, where he earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies.
