Late COAS Lagbaja Buried Amidst Tears, Tributes
It was an atmosphere of tears and grief as the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja was laid to rest in Abuja, on Friday, ending an illustrious military career that spanned decades.
The burial took place at the National Cemetery in the nation’s capital marking an end to two days of funeral rites that began in Lagos earlier in the week.
His body was lowered to Mother Earth at exactly 4:41 pm after the ceremony that lasted four over two hours.
Lagbaja’s casket, draped in Nigeria’s green and white colours, arrived at the cemetery around 3 pm in a white funeral wagon after a funeral service at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
READ: Burial Activities For Late COAS Lagbaja Begins
Several dignitaries attended the event. President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Acting Chief of Army Staff Lt.Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa; the Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru and other top government officials and military brass graced the occasion.
In his eulogy, President Tinubu described the appointment of the late Lagbaja as one of his finest decisions since assuming office as Nigeria’s leader. He thereafter conferred a national honour on him.
“As an eternal symbol of our appreciation, I have granted the late Chief of Army Staff, the post-humous national honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic of the Niger (CFR),” Tinubu said, asking the military not to be demoralised by the demise of the COAS.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
