President Bola Tinubu has appointed Maj Gen Olufemi Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff.
“Oluyede will act in the position pending the return of the indisposed substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement Wednesday evening.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu appoints Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as acting Chief of Army Staff’.
Until his appointment, Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.
The 56-year-old Oluyede and Lagbaja were coursemates and members of the 39th Regular Course.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1992, effective from 1987. He rose to Major-General in September 2020.
Oluyede has held many commands since his commissioning as an officer. He was Platoon Commander and adjutant at 65 Battalion, Company Commander at 177 Guards Battalion, Staff Officer Guards Brigade, Commandant Amphibious Training School.
He participated in several operations, including the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group Mission in Liberia, Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi, and Operation HADIN KAI in the North East theatre of operations, where he commanded 27 Task Force Brigade.
Onanuga said the acting army chief has earned many honours for his meritorious service in various fields of operations.
These include the Corps Medal of Honour, the Grand Service Star, Passing the Staff Course, and Membership in the National Institute.
Others are the Field Command Medal, the Field Command Medal of Honour, and the Field Training Medal.
Oluyede also received the coveted Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award. He is married and has three children.
The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian Army, on Sunday, October 20, 2024, debunked reports circulating in the media that Lagbaja had died.
The Defence Headquarters also announced on Monday, October 21, 2024, that no appointment as the acting Chief of Army Staff existed within the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
A statement by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, on October 21 said no such appointment exists within the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
It said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, had only spoken with the COAS a few minutes ago.
Several reports originating from a social media post by a Nigerian journalist announcing the death of the Army chief went viral on October 20.
The journalist claimed that Lagbaja had died of cancer 48 hours ago.
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 because of intense lobbying by some Generals who want to take the position.
“Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023, as the 27th Chief of Army Staff.”
Reacting to the post on X, the Nigerian Army marked it as fake news.
However, sources at the Army Headquarters confirmed to our correspondent that the army chief was critically ill.
One of the sources said, “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 that he died.”
Another source said he was out of the country to treat himself.
“He is out of the country for treatment. And I have not heard of his death from anyone around him. There is no way such information could be hidden,” the source said.
