Osamagbe Imadiyi
On Thursday, the military high command paid their final respects to Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, the late Chief of Army Staff, who passed away on Tuesday, November 5, following a brief illness.
Following final respects paid in his honor at the Air Force wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja by senior military personnel and other dignitaries, including Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, and other dignitaries, Lagbja’s body left for Abuja on Thursday morning.
At precisely 9 am, the body—which had been transported from a state mortuary—arrived at the Nigerian Air Force wing in a cream-colored SUV hearse.After receiving it, Guards Brigade soldiers staged a military parade on the Air Force wing’s strip. The body was removed from the hearse at precisely 10 a.m. and placed on a trolley as six senior military officials carefully transferred it into the C-130H NAF aircraft at precisely 10:32 a.m.The 301 heavy airlift crew airlifted the body at 11:45 a.m.
Representatives of the Military Wives Association and a few family members of the deceased attended the nearly two-hour-long ceremony at the Lagos end.At precisely 12:16 pm, his remains arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where they were prepared for his final resting place.Top military officers were present to receive the body, which was given a guard of honor upon arrival at the Abuja airport.
Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, stated that the deceased would be laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja today (Friday). On Thursday, there was a song service in Abuja in his honor.
The late Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Lagbaja, was hailed as an exceptional military leader by Maj Gen Kelvin Aligbe, Commander of Training and Doctrine Command. According to him, “It is not surprising that I was the only officer to command a battalion twice.”
On September 12, 1987, 199 officer cadets started their training to enter the military as part of the 39 Regular Course. Looking back on their common experience, Aligbe recalled their commissioning.According to him, Lagbaja was a born leader from the start.