COAS Lagbaja on Leave, Nigerian Army Appoints Abdulsalami Bagudu as Acting Chief

With Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Lagbaja on leave, the Nigerian Army has appointed Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu as the acting Chief of Army Staff to ensure continued leadership in the military.

The Nigerian Army has announced that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, is currently on leave.

This development comes after reports that the Chief of Army Staff is currently unable to perform duties due to health issues.

Revealing this development, Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu stated that a structured process is in place to prevent any gaps in leadership.

Nwachukwu stated that Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, the Army Chief of Policy and Plans, would represent the COAS while he is away.

In a signed statement, Nwachukwu stated that the COAS’s leave would not impact the Army’s operations.

According to Nwachukwu, there have been suggestions of a leadership vacuum and confusion among officers. However, this is completely untrue.

To be absolutely clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly organized institution with well-defined procedures and processes for handling various situations.

Before going on leave, the required protocols were established for Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), to act on behalf of the COAS during his absence.

“Assertions of a leadership void in the NA at this time are purely speculative, as all routine and scheduled activities within the service continue as planned.”