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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Abacha's former CSO disputes ex-DSS officer's account of ruler's death

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A former Nigerian security officer's account of the late Head of State Sani Abacha's death is disputed.
  • Maj Hamza Al-Mustapha, Abacha's former CSO, calls the claims false and fabricated.
  • The circumstances surrounding Abacha's 1998 death remain controversial.

A former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has vehemently dismissed claims made by a former Department of State Services (DSS) operative regarding the final moments of the former military ruler. Dennis Amachree, in his new memoir, alleged that Abacha died from cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter with his girlfriend on June 8, 1998.

Al-Mustapha, who was present during Abacha's final hours, described Amachree's account as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. Speaking on the sidelines of a memorial conference in Kaduna, Al-Mustapha stated that Amachree's claims were fabricated and did not reflect the actual events. He asserted that he possesses evidence, including CCTV footage, that contradicts the version presented in Amachree's book, "DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield."

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.

— Maj Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.)Dismissing claims made by a former DSS operative about Abacha's death.

"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 told journalists. He emphasized the impropriety of making allegations against a deceased person who cannot defend themselves, urging the public to "just ignore his lies."

The circumstances surrounding Sani Abacha's death in 1998 have been a subject of persistent controversy and conflicting narratives. While the government at the time announced that Abacha died after a sudden illness, various accounts from former military officers, intelligence operatives, diplomats, and political figures have offered different versions of events. These differing narratives have fueled public debate for nearly three decades, with Al-Mustapha consistently challenging accounts he believes misrepresent the late Head of State or the period of his rule.

Just ignore his lies. It’s bad to say such things about someone who is dead.

— Maj Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.)Urging the public to disregard the disputed account.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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