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Major General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja
was born on Wednesday, 28 February 1968 in Ilobu, now in Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State.
He had his early childhood in Osogbo where he attended the Local Authority Teachers College Demonstration School Osogbo between 1973 and 1979. He attended St. Charles Grammar School and Local Authority Teachers College from 1979 to 1984.
He continued his education at The Polytechnic, Ibadan from 1984 to 1986 and obtained West African School Certificate (Advanced Level).
He was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987 as a member of the 39th Regular Course and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 19th September 1992 into the Nigerian Infantry Corps.
He served as Platoon Commander of the 93 Battalion between 1992 and 1995.
Between 1995 and 2001, he was platoon commander of 72 Special Forces Battalion.
In 2001, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He studied Strategic Studies at the US Army War College at the Master’s level.
He was an instructor at Nigerian Defence Academy between 2001 and 2004.
He served as a Grade 2 Staff Officer in charge of peacekeeping at the Army Headquarters Department of Army Training and Operations.
He was a Directing Staff at Armed Forces Command and Staff College from 2006 to 2009.
In 2009, he became Deputy Chief of Staff G1 at Headquarters 81 Division and subsequently, he became Commanding Officer at 72 Special Forces Battalion Makurdi from 2012 to 2013 and 2014 to 2015.
He was named the Chief of Staff at Headquarters 8 Task Force Division, Monguno in 2016.
He served as Director of Operations at the Army Headquarters Department of Army Training and Operations from January – December 2018.
He was a Commander of Headquarters 9 Brigade, Ikeja, Lagos State and Headquarters 2 Brigade, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Before being named as the Chief of Army Staff, he was General Officer Commanding Headquarters 82 Division from March 2021 to August 2022 and Headquarters 1 Division from August 2022 to June 2023.
In 2008, he attended the Military Observers Course on Peacekeeping Wing at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (February – May 2008) and ECOWAS Standby Force Battalion Command Post Course – Peacekeeping Centre, Bamako, Mali – (June – August 2010).
He became a Major General in September 2019.
He is a gallant officer who participated in Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi Peninsula; United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC); Operation ZAKI Internal Security Operation in Benue State; Operation LAFIYA DOLE; Operation MESA/Operation UDO KA – March 2021 – August 2022 – Internal Security Operation in South-east Nigeria (Anambra/Abia/Ebonyi/Enugu and Imo States); and Operation FOREST SANITY – Aug 2022 to 2023 – Internal Security Operation in Kaduna/Niger States.
His marriage to Mariya Abiodun is blessed with two children, he likes watching documentaries and reading biographies.
