Former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has dismissed claims by former Department of State Services operative Dennis Amachree regarding the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference at Arewa House in Kaduna, Al-Mustapha described Amachree’s account as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it.
In his recently released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, Amachree, who served as Assistant Director of Operations and Intelligence at the Lagos DSS Command when Abacha died on June 8, 1998, claimed the late military ruler suffered a fatal cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Reacting to the claim, Al-Mustapha alleged that the account was fabricated and did not reflect what happened.
He said he possessed evidence, including what he described as CCTV footage, that contradicted the version presented in the book but did not disclose further details or indicate whether he would release the material publicly.
“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.
He also urged Nigerians not to accept what he described as false allegations against a deceased person who could no longer defend himself.
“Just ignore his lies. It’s bad to say such things about someone who is dead,” he added.
Abacha seized power in a military coup on November 17, 1993, and remained Head of State until his sudden death at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on June 8, 1998.
At the time, the Nigerian government announced that he died after a sudden illness. However, the circumstances surrounding his death have remained the subject of controversy, with former military officers, intelligence operatives, diplomats and political figures offering conflicting accounts over the years.
Al-Mustapha, one of Abacha’s closest aides, has consistently rejected narratives he believes misrepresent the late Head of State or the events surrounding his death.