Buratai Pays Tribute To Late COAS, Lagbaja

Former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd) has expressed sadness over the demise of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.

Buratai characterized Lagbaja as a paragon of discipline and commitment, commending his extraordinary life and enduring legacy.

Lagbaja served under Buratai as the Commander of the 9 Brigade in Ikeja and the Commander of the 2 Brigade in Uyo before his promotion to Major General and subsequent appointment as Director of Campaign Plan at Army Headquarters in 2020.

Buratai conveyed his condolences to President Bola Tinubu, Lagbaja’s family, and the Nigerian Army.

He praised Lagbaja’s leadership and vision, which significantly contributed to the transformation of the Nigerian Army into a formidable institution.

“General Lagbaja’s legacy will endure through the lives he touched and the nation he served with dedication and commitment,” Buratai said.

Late COAS, Lagbaja Was Killed Diabolically – Family Members Claim

Meanwhile, Pa Tajudeen Lagbaja, the head of the family of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, has expressed deep regret over obtaining the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) form for the deceased.

He stated that had he known the military career would lead to such a tragic end; he would not have facilitated the process.

Other members of the family have raised allegations that Lt. General Lagbaja’s death may have been influenced by diabolical means linked to a land dispute in his hometown of Ilobu, the headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The dispute reportedly began in 2023 when a delegation from the Nigerian Army proposed establishing a hospital in the community.

While speaking with The Nation, he stated that had he known the military career would lead to such a tragic end, he would not have facilitated the process.

“If I knew his life would be cut short, I would not have obtained the NDA form for him,” Pa Tajudeen lamented, reflecting on the untimely death of the late COAS.

The distraught family head said, “Everyone who is born must die. We give glory to God. The year that I obtained an NDA form for him if I had known that he would die before me, I would not have done so. I regret obtaining the form for him. But it is destiny.

“The death that killed Taoreed Lagbaja ought to take me, his father’s younger brother. I took him as one of my children. We are greatly bereaved; we are sad. He constructed a borehole in his father’s compound and other places in the community.

“We can never forget him; his death is so shocking to us. I have accepted fate. All the promises he made to me have hit a brick wall. He always gives us hope in the family despite the sorrow. I give thanks to God.”