President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), to stand in for the ailing substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Before this new role, Oluyede, 56, served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992, Oluyede attained the rank of Major-General in September 2020.
Throughout his career, he has held various commands, including roles as Platoon Commander and adjutant at 65 Battalion, Company Commander at 177 Guards Battalion, and Staff Officer Guards Brigade.
Oluyede's operational experience includes participation in significant missions such as the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Mission in Liberia, Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi, and Operation HADIN KAI in the North East theatre, where he led the 27 Task Force Brigade.
The statement added, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
“Oluyede will act in the position pending the return of the indisposed substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.
“Until his appointment, Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.”
Earlier in October, SaharaReporters broke the news that Lagbaja had been secretly flown abroad for medical treatment following prolonged absence from official duties.
