Emotions ran high on Friday as the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, was laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, concluding a distinguished military career that spanned decades.
The burial ceremony, which marked the culmination of two days of funeral rites, saw family members, colleagues, and dignitaries pay their final respects to the fallen hero.
Lagbaja’s casket, draped in the national green and white flag, arrived at the cemetery at exactly 3:00 p.m. in a white funeral wagon following a solemn funeral service at the National Christian Centre.
His remains were committed to Mother Earth at 4:41 p.m. after an over two-hour ceremony steeped in military tradition.
The rites began earlier in the week with a service of songs held at the Army Headquarters Garrison Parade Ground, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja.
On Thursday, his body was flown into Abuja aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, which landed at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 12:15 p.m.
Speaking at the burial, top military officials eulogized Lagbaja for his dedication to duty, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the Nigerian Army.
Dignitaries, including government officials and members of the armed forces, took turns laying wreaths at the graveside to honour the late COAS, who was remembered as a pillar of discipline and strategy in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity.
