President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff.
This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
He said Oluyede will hold sway as the COAS pending the return of Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is said to be indisposed and is receiving treatment abroad.
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. 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.
General Oluyede participated in several operations, including the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) 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.
Few days ago, several reports emerged after former presidential aide and social media commentator, Jackson Ude, claimed that that Lagbaja had died of cancer.
“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 post read.
“The death of the Chief of Army Staff has been kept secret due to intense lobbying by some generals who wish to take the position.
“Lagbaja, born on 28 February 1968 in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff.”
This forced the army authorities to debunk the report on October 20, describing it as fake news.
Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, had clarified that Lagbaja is on official leave, and necessary protocols have been put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS during his absence.
Nwachukwu, a major general, emphasised that Lagbaja’s absence is not affecting the operations of the service.
The army spokesman said all routine and scheduled activities of the service are on course, adding that the appropriate departmental chiefs are fully carrying out their responsibilities in line with the COAS directives.
