Breaking: Acting COAS, Oluyede Promoted Lieutenant General As Lagbaja’s Fate Remains Uncertain

The acting Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, has reportedly been decorated with the new rank of lieutenant-general, an indication he is set to be made substantive army chief.

Naijaonpoint recalls that President Bola Tinubu had last week, appointed Oluyede the COAS due to the ill health of Taoreed Lagbaja.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, a source at the villa confirmed that Oluyede was decorated with the new rank at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The source added that the presidency will release a statement on the matter later on Tuesday.

It is not clear what Lagbaja’s fate is at the moment, and with the decoration, Oluyede may permanently replace him.

Meanwhile, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has congratulated Major-General Olufemi Oluyede on his appointment as acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by President Bola Tinubu.

The appointment, announced on Wednesday, places Oluyede, an Ikere-Ekiti native, at the helm of the Nigerian Army in an acting capacity pending the return of the substantive COAS, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is currently receiving medical treatment abroad.

Governor Oyebanji expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for selecting Oluyede, and lauded the general’s integrity and accomplishments in the military.

In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, Oyebanji noted that Oluyede’s wealth of experience, including his recent role as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps in Jaji, Kaduna, positions him well for the responsibilities of the COAS role.