By Ayomide Otitoju
The body of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, arrived in Abuja on Thursday aboard Nigerian Air Force plane NAF 918 for his burial on Friday. The plane, carrying the remains of the COAS, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s presidential wing at approximately 12:15 p.m., where military top brass gathered to pay their respects.
The late COAS’s body, which departed Lagos earlier in the day, was greeted with a guard of honor and full military ceremony, with a solemn procession along a red carpet. The burial will be held at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
Lieutenant General Lagbaja, appointed Chief of Army Staff by President Tinubu in June 2023, passed away last week in Lagos after a brief illness. Born on February 28, 1968, Lagbaja began his military career in 1987 at the Nigerian Defence Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry Corps in 1992. Throughout his career, he contributed to multiple security operations, including Operation Lafiya Dole in Borno and Operation Forest Sanity in Kaduna and Niger States. He is survived by his wife, Mariya, and two children.
