A family member of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, has revealed that his death may have been the result of diabolical forces linked to a land dispute in their hometown of Ilobu, Osun State.

According to The Nation, Madam Toyin, who spoke on behalf of the family, disclosed that the general’s untimely demise was connected to the tensions surrounding a land issue in the community.
The conflict escalated when the Nigerian Army proposed the construction of a hospital there in 2023.
The family, still reeling from the loss, has been left with a mixture of sorrow and disbelief.
Pa Tajudeen Lagbaja, the family head, also shared his own regret over a crucial decision made years ago.

He revealed that he had been the one to obtain the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) form for his late nephew, a choice he now wishes he had never made, as he could not have foreseen his tragic early death.

He spoke of the pain his family is enduring, revealing that his nephew had been like a son to him.
The family head said, “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 done so. I regret obtaining the form for him. But it is destiny.

“The death that killed Taoreed Lagbaja ought to take me. I took him as one of my children. We are greatly bereaved, we are sad. He constructed a borehole in his father’s compound and other places in the community.

“We can never forget him, his death is so shocking to us. I have accepted the fate, all the promises he made to me have hit a brick wall. He always gave us hope in the family, despite the sorrow, I give thanks to God.”

Lt. General Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos after a brief illness.