Taoreed Lagbaja, the chief of army staff (COAS), was last seen in public on September 13, according to the Nigerian Army’s social media posts of his official engagements.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Lagbaja on June 19, 2023. 15 months after his appointment, he has disappeared from the full glare of the public, fueling some citizens’ questions about his whereabouts and well-being.
Sahara Reporters had exclusively reported on October 15 that Lagbaja had been flown outside the country because of a health condition. Following this report, speculations over Lagbaja’s health have only thickened with some speculating on social media that he has died.
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Although the army authorities have not clarified what health challenge Lagbaja has, Onyema Nwachukwu, the army’s director of public relations, admitted on Saturday that previous army chiefs before Lagbaja have also had “unforeseen human frailty kept” that kept them away for at least three months.
“Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS, while he is away. 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,” Premium Times reported on Sunday.
LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE
After September 13 when he attended an event organised by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Lagbaja had been represented at formal events organised by the military.
“Another history was made today, Friday, 13 September 2024, as the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja graduates participants of Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 2/2023,” the resource centre wrote on X on September 14 and reposted by the Nigerian Army.
A check on the army’s Facebook page last posted about the COAS’ public appearance on September 10 when he commissioned some Civil-Military Cooperation Intervention (CIMIC) projects built by the army in Okuku, Osun State.
SOME EVENTS MISSED
Checking through the army’s X page, FIJ could count at least 8 formal events where the COAS was represented by his subordinates.
That list excluded the October 1 Independence Day celebration. Lagbaja was nowhere to be found at that national event.
The army celebrated the retirement ceremony of 15 army generals on Saturday at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA) in Kachia, Kaduna State. It is not certain whether Lagbaja would have missed such an event if he were healthy.
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Under its CIMIC programme, the army handed over a hospital to a community in Kogi State, according to an October 10 X post. With his presence at a similar event in Okuku, Lagbaja could have witnessed the project handover in Kogi.
He was also absent from a media chat held by the army on September 16. The event, graced by top media executives, was held in Benue State. Again, Lagbaja participated through Hilary Nzan, a major-general.
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