The military debunked the rumor in a post on its official X handle on Sunday, tagging Jackson Youde’s post as “fake news.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that some online reports speculated that the army chief died in an undisclosed hospital overseas.
All reports cited the aforementioned Jackson Youde as the source, without formal confirmation from the Army or Department of Defense.
However, the Director of Army Public Affairs, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu issued a statement on Saturday saying that she was on leave from COAS and was taking care of her health outside the country.
Nwachukwu said there was no leadership vacuum in the Nigerian Army, adding that the Director of Policy and Plans, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam Ibrahim was in charge of military service.
He said that while some of the stories were laughable and not worth further reference, others were plagued with pure pranks intended to cause panic and confusion among the public as well as the public. Ta.
“Let me be clear: The Nigerian Army is a highly structured organization with well-developed procedures and processes to deal with different situations.
“Before proceeding on leave, the necessary steps have been established for Major General Johnson, Director of Policy and Plans (Army), to act on behalf of the COAS in the absence of Mr. Abdulsalami Ibrahim.
“This is not limited to the Army; there have been cases where military chiefs were absent for about three months due to unforeseen human weaknesses, and the policy and planning director took the lead during the military chief’s absence. there were.
“The Army Command, therefore, assures the general public that they maintain confidence in the Nigerian Army and that it remains aware of the internal security situation and is always ready to defend Nigeria against any invasion of its territory. I recommend that
“Meanwhile, the Army Command would like to thank all well-meaning Nigerians who have shown genuine concern for Lt. Gen. TA Lagbaha and who continue to pray for him,” he said.
