On Friday, November 15, 2024, Nigeria’s 23rd Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja was laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja. President Bola Tinubu, who led events at the national burial, posthumously honoured Lagbaja, conferring on him Nigeria’s third highest title – Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
The burial was marked by full military honours including the traditional firing of the three volleys symbolising the ultimate sacrifice made and the firing of 19 gun salute followed by the reveille.
On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, the presidency formally announced that the 56-year-old General Lagbaja passed away on the night of Tuesday, November 5, 2024 in Lagos after a period of illness, exactly 505 days in office.
Appointed by President Tinubu on June 19, 2023 alongside Chief of Defence Staff and other Service Chiefs, late Lagbaja’s absence from duty was initially kept under wraps until the Nigerian Army admitted on October 19, 2024 that the former COAS was “On leave and medical check-up abroad.”
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Born on February 28, 1968, in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State, he spent his early years in Osogbo, where he attended St. Charles Grammar School and the Local Authority Teachers College. In 1987, Lagbaja was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as part of the 39th Regular Course and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Infantry Corps on September 19, 1992.
From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Lagbaja served as a platoon commander with the 93 Battalion, and from 1995 to 2001, he was a platoon commander for the 72 Special Forces Battalion. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 2001 and later pursued a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.
Between 2001 and 2004, Lagbaja served as an instructor at the NDA. Following this, he worked as a Grade 2 Staff Officer in charge of peacekeeping at the Army Headquarters Department of Army Training and Operations. He was then appointed as a Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, a role he held from 2006 to 2009.
Lagbaja played pivotal roles in numerous Internal Security Operations (ISOs), including Operation Zaki in Benue State, Lafiya Dole, Zaman Lafiya and Hadin Kai in Borno, Udoka in South East Nigeria, and Operation Forest Sanity across Kaduna and Niger states.
He is survived by his wife, Mariya, and their two children.
We at Daily Trust join President Tinubu, the Ministers of Defence, CDS and Service Chiefs, and indeed all Nigerians in mourning the death of Lagbaja. We also stand in solidarity with the late COAS’ family and the nation’s brave men and women in uniform as they mourn the profound loss.
Tinubu, who led the eulogy at the solemn ceremony attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, top government officials, senior military officers, and members of the diplomatic corps, described Lagbaja as “A soldier’s soldier, a general and officer who symbolised the best of his profession and whose commitment to the nation he loved was singular and undiluted,” adding that “He was also a man of prudent action, who cared more for his nation and for those who served under him than he ever did for himself…Lieutenant General Lagbaja embodied the finest ideals of a patriot and a soldier. He had an abiding faith in the capacity and readiness of our armed forces to keep us safe.”
His comrades at arms, led by the CDS, Gen Christopher Musa described him as a courageous, hard-working, reliable, loyal, and dedicated officer and Service Chief whose tireless efforts and unflinching commitment to the security and well-being of the nation was unparalleled.
We at Daily Trust also believe that the dream of a much more secure and safe Nigeria for which Lagbaja fought for must actualise. It must not die with him. After all, the security challenges he relentlessly fought did not disappear with his passing. Rather, the elimination of these challenges has become a much more urgent task. And this must be tackled with utmost focus and dedication.
Indeed, for the Acting COAS, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, his hands are full. So much has been done. And so much needs to be done. Therefore, the army must recommit to the ideals for which Lagbaja stood for and strive to defeat all non-state actors and reclaim all ungoverned spaces across the country.
Innovative ways to bring the war against terrorism and banditry to a closure demands immediate implementation so as to deliver peace, security, and a stable environment for Nigerians.
May the soul of Lt. Gen. TA Lagbaja rest in peace.
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