Abuja, Nigeria — Nigerian army chief Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has died, according to a statement Wednesday from the country's president.

On the social media platform X, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced Lagbaja's death and expressed condolences to his family and Nigeria's armed forces.

Lagbaja, 56, died in Lagos on Tuesday night after a period of illness, authorities said. They did not elaborate on his illness.

Two weeks ago, Nigerian defense authorities denied rumors suggesting the army chief had died after his prolonged absence from the public and active duty.

The Nigerian army has been fighting various adversaries across the country, including bandits and the Boko Haram insurgents.

Lagbaja is not the first Nigerian army chief to die while on active duty in recent years. In 2021, Ibrahim Attahiru died in a military air crash along with 10 other high-ranking officials.

Tinubu appointed Lagbaja in June 2023, shortly after taking office. Lagbaja launched a campaign seeking to repair the reputation of the military, which is often accused of mistreating civilians and extrajudicial killings.

Last week, Tinubu appointed Olufemi Oluyede as acting army chief and, on Tuesday, promoted him to the rank of lieutenant general.