Pa Tajudeen Lagbaja, head of the Lagbaja family, has said he regrets obtaining the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) form for the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja.
Lagbaja, younger brother of the late COAS’ father, said that if he had foreseen his nephew’s death he would not have encouraged him to join the military.
He spoke during a gathering of the family in their hometown of Ilobu, Osun State.
“Everyone who is born must die. We give glory to God. The year that I obtained NDA form for him, If I had known that he would die before me, I would not have bought the NDA form for him. I regret obtaining the form for him. But it is destiny,” he said.
“The death that took Taoreed Lagbaja ought to have taken me. I took him as one of my children. His passing has left us deeply bereaved.”
Lagbaja recalled how the late COAS constructed boreholes for his father’s compound and other areas in the community, providing potable water to local residents.
“He constructed a borehole in his father’s compound and other places in the community.,” Lagbaja said,
“We can never forget him. His death is so shocking to us. Despite the sorrow, I give thanks to God. Everyone who is born must die.”
Amid the grief, some family members raised concerns, suggesting that Lagbaja may have been a victim of diabolical means due to a lingering land dispute in the family’s hometown. The land dispute, which according to The Nation, began in 2023, involved plans by the Nigerian Army to establish a hospital in Ilobu, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area in Osun State.
Lagbaja concluded by expressing his acceptance of fate, though the family continues to grapple with the loss.
“All the promises he made to me have hit a brick wall. He always gave us hope in the family,” he said.
The COAS died in Lagos on Tuesday night after a brief ailment.
