Al-Mustapha accuses former DSS official of falsehood regarding Abacha's demise

Maj Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, has refuted claims made by Dennis Amachree, a former Department of State Services operative, regarding the circumstances surrounding Abacha's death.

n

Al-Mustapha described Amachree's claim that Abacha died from cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter with his girlfriend as false, urging Nigerians to be skeptical of the account, which he made in his newly released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield.

n

Al-Mustapha made these comments on the sidelines of the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference, held at Arewa House, Kaduna, where he disputed Amachree's version of events.

n

According to Amachree, who served as Assistant Director of Operations and Intelligence at the Lagos DSS Command when Abacha died, the late military ruler suffered a fatal episode at about 4:05am at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on June 8, 1998.

n

Al-Mustapha alleged that Amachree's account was fabricated and did not reflect the actual events, maintaining that he possesses evidence capable of contradicting the claims made in Amachree's publication.

n

However, Al-Mustapha did not elaborate on the nature of the evidence or indicate whether he intended to make it public, stating only that "the boy was asked by others to write those lies" and that he has CCTV footage of what happened in his custody.

n

Al-Mustapha urged Nigerians to disregard Amachree's claims, insisting that it is wrong to make allegations against a deceased person who can no longer defend himself, saying "Just ignore his lies, it's bad to say such things about someone who is dead".

n

Gen Sani Abacha, who took power in a military coup on November 17, 1993, ruled the country until his sudden death at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 8, 1998.

n

The Federal Government announced at the time that the Head of State died after a sudden illness, but the circumstances surrounding his death have remained one of the most controversial episodes in the country's political history.

n

Over the years, conflicting accounts have emerged from former military officers, intelligence operatives, diplomats, and political actors, with various books and interviews offering different versions of what happened during Abacha's final hours.

n

The differing narratives have continued to fuel public debate nearly three decades after his death, with Al-Mustapha, one of Abacha's closest aides, consistently rejecting allegations and narratives he believes misrepresent the late Head of State or the events of that period.