Retired Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has publicly challenged Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), the former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State General Sani Abacha, to produce closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the military ruler’s final moments. The challenge follows Al-Mustapha’s dismissal of claims made in Amachree’s recently published memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield.
Details of the Controversial Claim
In his 348-page memoir, Amachree alleged that Abacha died at approximately 4:05 a.m. on June 8, 1998, inside the Presidential Villa Guest House in Abuja. According to Amachree, the cause of death was a coitus-induced cardiac arrest. The retired DSS officer stated that he personally participated in the investigation that followed Abacha’s sudden death and insisted that the account in his book is based on direct experience and knowledge of the incident.
Al-Mustapha, who served as Abacha’s top security aide, described Amachree’s narrative as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. He did not, however, provide any alternative explanation or evidence to counter the claims.
Amachree’s Response: Demand for Verifiable Evidence
Speaking in an interview, Amachree countered Al-Mustapha’s denial by calling for concrete proof. “If he says what I wrote is false, let him produce the CCTV footage of what happened,” Amachree said. He emphasized that responses to historical accounts should be grounded in verifiable facts rather than personal attacks, adding that simply labeling his memoir as false does not invalidate the documented findings.
The former DSS officer also defended his own credentials, noting that he retired as an Assistant Director—a rank he equated to a Brigadier in the Nigerian Army. He contrasted this with Al-Mustapha’s rank: “I retired as an Assistant Director, which in army terms is equivalent to a Brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a Major.”
Background of the Dispute
Amachree’s memoir, released in 2023, covers his 40-year career in the DSS, including the Abacha era. The book has stirred debate, particularly over the circumstances of Abacha’s death. Al-Mustapha, who was acquitted in 2013 of conspiracy to murder Abacha’s wife and others, has consistently denied any wrongdoing and rejected allegations linking him to the dictator’s death.
The call for CCTV footage raises questions about the availability and preservation of such recordings from 1998. It remains unclear whether any surveillance tapes from the Presidential Villa from that period still exist, or if they were ever reviewed during the official investigations.
Amachree’s challenge has added a new dimension to the long-standing controversy surrounding Abacha’s death, one of the most mysterious events in Nigeria’s political history. The retired intelligence officer insists that his memoir is an honest account and that Al-Mustapha should put forward contradicting evidence if he wishes to be believed.
