By Oscar Okhifo
The long-running controversy surrounding the death of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has taken a dramatic new turn, with his former Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), dismissing claims by retired Department of State Services (DSS) officer Dennis Amachree that the late military ruler died during a sexual encounter.
Al-Mustapha insisted that he possesses CCTV footage that contradicts the account contained in Amachree’s recently released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the third General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference at Arewa House in Kaduna on Saturday, the retired military officer described Amachree’s account as false and alleged that the former intelligence officer had been influenced to include misleading claims in his book.
“The boy was asked by others to write those lies. I have all the CCTV footage of what happened in my custody, so what he said is not true,” Al-Mustapha said.
Amachree, who served in the DSS and said he investigated Abacha’s death, wrote in his memoir that the former Head of State died of cardiac arrest during sexual intercourse on June 8, 1998. The claim has reignited public debate over the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s sudden death nearly three decades ago.
According to the retired intelligence officer, he interrogated the young woman who was reportedly with Abacha shortly before he died. Amachree recounted that she repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting:
“I did not kill him. He died on top of me.”
The account, presented as part of Amachree’s insider narrative of the investigation, has now been directly challenged by Al-Mustapha, who maintains that the version contained in the memoir is untrue.
Despite claiming to possess CCTV footage of the events surrounding Abacha’s final moments, Al-Mustapha did not disclose the contents of the alleged recording or explain where and when it was captured. He also did not indicate whether he intends to release the footage publicly or make it available to investigators or historians.
General Abacha, who seized power in November 1993, died suddenly on June 8, 1998, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The military government announced at the time that he died after a sudden illness.
His death brought an end to nearly five years of military rule and paved the way for Nigeria’s transition to democratic governance, culminating in the inauguration of a civilian administration in May 1999.
Over the years, however, competing accounts of Abacha’s final hours have emerged through books, interviews, memoirs and public commentaries by former military officers, intelligence operatives and other insiders. Those conflicting narratives have continued to fuel speculation and ensure that the circumstances surrounding his death remain one of Nigeria’s most enduring political mysteries.
Amachree’s memoir has added a fresh dimension to that debate by offering what he described as an insider’s account of the investigation into Abacha’s death. Al-Mustapha’s response has now placed two contrasting narratives before the public—one from the officer who said he investigated the death and another from the man who served as the late Head of State’s Chief Security Officer.
While Amachree’s claims are documented in a published memoir, Al-Mustapha’s rebuttal rests on his assertion that he possesses CCTV footage capable of disproving them. Until that evidence is produced and independently examined, the competing accounts are likely to remain the subject of public debate.
The renewed controversy also highlights the importance of preserving and, where appropriate, declassifying official records relating to pivotal moments in Nigeria’s history. Credible documentary evidence remains essential to separating historical fact from speculation.
Nearly three decades after General Abacha’s death, the conflicting accounts from two former senior security officials have once again brought one of Nigeria’s most debated political episodes back into national focus.
Attention is now expected to shift to whether Amachree responds to Al-Mustapha’s allegations and, more importantly, whether the former Chief Security Officer will release the CCTV footage he claims to possess.
Until new verifiable evidence emerges or official records capable of resolving the conflicting accounts are made public, the circumstances surrounding General Sani Abacha’s death are likely to remain one of Nigeria’s most enduring political mysteries.