Nigeria’s army chief, who led country through one of Africa's longest conflicts, dies

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who led soldiers through a critical period in the fight against Islamic extremists in the West African nation's hard-hit northeast, has died after an illness, President Bola Tinubu said Wednesday. Lagbaja was 56.

Lagbaja, who served as army chief since June 2023, died on Tuesday night after a “period of illness” in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos, Tinubu said in a statement issued by his office.

The late army chief had not been seen in public in nearly two months, fueling rumors that he had died, which the Nigerian army first denied more than two weeks ago.

He has already been replaced by Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, whom Tinubu appointed in an acting capacity a week ago.

Lagbaja’s death comes at a crucial time as Nigeria continues to fight one of Africa’s longest wars on militancy in its northeastern region, where Boko Haram extremists launched an insurgency nearly 15 years ago.

The country’s military, long underfunded and outgunned, has been fighting to slow the expansion of the extremists in the region and beyond.

While the frequency of violent attacks has decreased in the region over the years, analysts say the extremists have sought to recruit more fighters and consolidate their strongholds in the Lake Chad basin.

Lagbaja had promised to entrench discipline and professionalism in the Nigerian army as one of his key priorities, seeking to rebrand an institution often accused of mistreating civilians and extrajudicial killings in conflict zones.