Al-Mustapha Dismisses Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death, Says Claims Are False
Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has rejected claims made by former Department of State Services (DSS) operative Dennis Amachree regarding the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, describing the account as false and urging Nigerians to disregard it.
Al-Mustapha spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House in Kaduna on Saturday.
His reaction followed renewed public debate sparked by Amachree’s memoir, The Shadow Warrior, in which the retired DSS Assistant Director offered his account of the events leading to the death of the former military ruler on June 8, 1998.
Refuting the claims, Al-Mustapha alleged that the account was fabricated and did not reflect what transpired.
> “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,” he said.
The retired army major maintained that he possesses evidence capable of contradicting the version presented in the memoir but did not provide further details on the alleged footage or indicate whether it would be made public.
He also appealed to Nigerians to disregard the claims, arguing that it was unfair to make allegations against a deceased person who could no longer respond.
> “Just ignore his lies. It’s bad to say such things about someone who is dead,” Al-Mustapha added.
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Gen. Abacha, who assumed power following a military coup on Nov. 17, 1993, ruled Nigeria until his sudden death at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 8, 1998.
The Federal Government announced at the time that the Head of State died after a sudden illness. However, the circumstances surrounding his death have remained one of the most debated episodes in Nigeria’s political history.
Over the years, former military officers, intelligence operatives, diplomats and political figures have offered conflicting accounts through books, interviews and public statements, fuelling continued public interest in the events surrounding Abacha’s final hours.
Amachree’s recently published memoir has reignited the debate, prompting fresh reactions from former officials who served during the Abacha administration.
Al-Mustapha, one of Abacha’s closest aides, has consistently defended the late Head of State and rejected narratives he believes misrepresent the former military leader or his administration.
Following Abacha’s death, Al-Mustapha was arrested in 1999 and stood trial over the attempted murder of publisher Alex Ibru and the killing of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola. After spending more than a decade in detention, he was discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013.
Since his release, the former Chief Security Officer has repeatedly maintained that many allegations against the Abacha administration were politically motivated or lacked factual basis.
By PRNigeria
