By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The Nigerian Army has dismissed the rumoured death of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, by some individuals on social platforms.

The army debunked the rumour in a post on its official X Handle on Sunday, tagging a post by one Jackson Ude as: ?Fake News?.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some online reports had speculated that the Army Chief had passed on in an undisclosed hospital abroad.

All the reports quoted the said Jackson Ude as their source without any official confirmation from the Army and Defence Headquarters.

However, the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj -Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Saturday, issued a statement that the COAS was on leave and also attending to his health outside the country.

Nwachukwu said that there was no leadership vacuum in the Nigerian Army, clarifying that the Chief of Policy and Plans, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Ibrahim, was in charge of affairs in the army.

He said that while some of the stories were laughable and deserved no further reference, others had bothered on pure mischief calculated to cause panic and confusion within the rank and file, as well as the general public.

?To be very clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances.

?Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalami Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS, while he is away.

?This is not peculiar to the army as there have been instances where unforeseen human frailty kept service chiefs away for about three months, and their Chiefs of Policy and Plans held sway in their absence.

?The Army Headquarters, therefore, enjoins the general public to remain confident in the Nigerian Army and be assured that the Service remains on top of the security situations in the country and is ever ready to defend Nigeria against any aggression on its land territory.

?Meanwhile, the Army Headquarters wishes to thank all well-meaning Nigerians who have shown genuine concern about Lt.-Gen. T. A. Lagbaja and have continued to pray for him,? he said. (NAN)

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