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Article Body TextABUJA, NIGERIA — <p>Nigerian army chief Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has died, according to a statement Wednesday from the country’s president.</p> <p>On the social media platform X, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced Lagbaja’s death and expressed condolences to his family and Nigeria's armed forces.</p> <p>Lagbaja, 56, died in Lagos on Tuesday night after a period of illness, authorities said. They did not elaborate on his illness.</p> <p>Two weeks ago, Nigerian defense authorities denied rumors suggesting the army chief had died after his prolonged absence from the public and active duty.</p> <p>The Nigerian army has been fighting various adversaries across the country, including bandits and the Boko Haram insurgents.</p> <p>Lagbaja is not the first Nigerian army chief to die while on active duty in recent years. In 2021, Ibrahim Attahiru died in a military air crash along with 10 other high-ranking officials.</p> <p>Tinubu appointed Lagbaja in June 2023, shortly after taking office. Lagbaja launched a campaign seeking to repair the reputation of the military, which is often accused of mistreating civilians and extrajudicial killings.</p> <p>Last week, Tinubu appointed Olufemi Oluyede as acting army chief and, on Tuesday, promoted him to the rank of lieutenant general.</p>
Content TypeText
LanguageEnglish
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateNovember 6, 2024 13:46 EST
BylineTimothy Obiezu
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English