Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Biography
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Biography : Major General Taoreed Lagbaja CFR (28 February 1968 – 5 November 2024) was a lieutenant general in the Nigerian Army who held the position of Chief of Army Staff from June 2023 to November 2024. He was appointed to this role by President Bola Tinubu on 19 June 2023, succeeding Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya.
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Early Life and Education
Born on 28 February 1968 in Ilobu, Irepodun, now part of Osun State, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja spent his formative years in Osogbo. He attended St. Charles Grammar School and the Local Authority Teachers College.
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Family
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja was married to Mariya Abiodun-Lagbaja, and together they had three children.
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Career
In 1987, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of the 39th Regular Course and was commissioned into the Nigerian Infantry Corps as a second lieutenant on 19 September 1992. Early in his career, he served as a platoon commander with the 93 Battalion (1992–1995) and later with the 72 Special Forces Battalion (1995–2001). He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 2001 and later pursued Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College, obtaining a Master’s degree.
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja held various instructional and leadership positions, including serving as an instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy (2001–2004) and as Grade 2 Staff Officer for peacekeeping operations at Army Headquarters. He also served as a Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji (2006–2009).
His roles included Deputy Chief of Staff G1 at 81 Division Headquarters, Commanding Officer at the 72 Special Forces Battalion, and Chief of Staff at Headquarters 8 Task Force Division in Monguno. Major General Taoreed Lagbaja served as Director of Operations at the Army Headquarters Department of Training and Operations in 2018 and held command positions at Headquarters 9 Brigade (Lagos) and Headquarters 2 Brigade (Uyo). Before becoming Chief of Army Staff, he was General Officer Commanding Headquarters 82 Division (March 2021–August 2022) and Headquarters 1 Division (August 2022–June 2023).
Throughout his career, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja attended several professional courses, including the Military Observers Course on Peacekeeping at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (2008) and the ECOWAS Standby Force Battalion Command Post Course in Mali (2010). He was promoted to lieutenant general in July 2023.
He participated in key operations such as Operation HARMONY IV in the Bakassi Peninsula, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), and various internal security operations across Nigeria, including Operation ZAKI, Operation Lafiya Dole, and Operation Forest Sanity.
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Death
Major General Taoreed Lagbaja passed away on 5 November 2024, in Lagos, Nigeria, at the age of 56. His death followed weeks of speculation, as he had not been seen in public since September. He was replaced in an acting capacity by Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede a week before his death.