Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh and explosive controversy has erupted over the death of former military Head of State General Sani Abacha, with a retired senior intelligence officer publicly challenging the late ruler's former Chief Security Officer to produce CCTV footage of the final hours of the dictator's life or cease his public denials. The clash pits Dennis Amachree, a former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), who served as Abacha's Chief Security Officer until the ruler's sudden death on June 8, 1998.
The dispute was triggered by the release of Amachree's 348-page memoir, titled "DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield," in which he provides a detailed account of Abacha's final moments. In the book, Amachree claims that the late military ruler died at approximately 4:05 a.m. on June 8, 1998, inside the Presidential Villa Guest House in Abuja after suffering what he describes as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest. According to Amachree, the incident involved a Nigerian pharmacist who was present during the intimate encounter. He stated that the woman was later tracked to Lagos and interrogated by him after the DSS received intelligence that she had fled Abuja.
Amachree, who was an assistant director of operations and intelligence at the Lagos DSS command at the time of Abacha's demise, insists that his account is based on an eyewitness interrogation he personally conducted and that it forms part of the DSS's official conclusions into the former head of state's death. Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, July 27, 2026, he defended his version of events, saying it was intended to put an end to longstanding conspiracy theories that have surrounded Abacha's death for more than two decades.
"I think my account is there to put to rest all the conspiracy theories of how the former head of state died. It is not a case of waiting 27 years; this information was ready right on the day he died," Amachree said. He dismissed previous speculation about poisoned apples and Indian ladies as the imagination of journalists who wanted to manufacture a story. "You have to know that when you want to find out something, the most reliable account of any event is an eyewitness account. This particular lady was right there when it happened. I interrogated her myself, and I don't have any doubt that what she was telling me was true," he insisted.
However, Al-Mustapha has vehemently rejected Amachree's account, describing it as false and urging Nigerians to disregard it. Speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference, the former Chief Security Officer alleged that the retired DSS officer was acting on the instructions of unnamed individuals. "The boy was asked to write the lies by others. I have all the CCTV footages of what happened in my custody, so what he said are not true," Al-Mustapha declared. He further urged the public to ignore the claims, saying it was wrong to make false statements against someone who was no longer alive to defend himself. "Just ignore his lies. It's bad to say such things on someone that is dead," he said.
Al-Mustapha's assertion that he possesses CCTV footage of Abacha's final moments has become the central point of contention. In response, Amachree issued a direct and public challenge on Monday, July 27, 2026, daring the former army officer to produce the footage if he genuinely possesses it. "If he says what I wrote is false, let him produce the CCTV footage of what happened," Amachree said in a telephone interview with The Nation. He maintained that Al-Mustapha's response should be based on verifiable facts instead of personal attacks, and that simply describing his account as false does not invalidate the findings contained in his memoir.
Amachree also defended the credibility of his memoir by revealing that it underwent official vetting by the DSS before publication and received institutional approval as part of activities marking the agency's 40th anniversary. He said the security agency invited him from the United States to attend the book launch, which was witnessed by senior security officials, state directors of the service, and members of the diplomatic community. "The book was vetted and approved by the DSS before publication," he said. Amachree argued that the official scrutiny and support given to the publication strengthened the credibility of the account contained in the book.
The retired intelligence officer also took strong exception to Al-Mustapha's description of him as "a boy," pointing out that his age and professional record do not support such a remark. "I was seven years old when Nigeria gained independence," Amachree said, highlighting that he is significantly older than Al-Mustapha. He also compared their ranks at retirement, arguing that he left the DSS at a higher equivalent position. "I retired as an Assistant Director, which in army terms is equivalent to a Brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a Major," he added. This rank comparison appears aimed at challenging Al-Mustapha's dismissive tone and establishing Amachree's seniority and credibility.
The exchange is the latest chapter in the long-running mystery surrounding Abacha's death, which has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories over the past 28 years. Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death, passed away barely a month before the death of Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, who died while in government custody. Amachree's memoir and Al-Mustapha's rebuttal have reignited public debate over the circumstances of the dictator's demise, with both former security officials offering sharply conflicting accounts. As the controversy deepens, the public awaits whether Al-Mustapha will produce the CCTV footage he claims to possess, or whether Amachree's challenge will remain unanswered, leaving yet another layer of uncertainty over one of Nigeria's most enduring historical mysteries.
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