Al-Mustapha Rejects Claims on Abacha’s Death, Says CCTV Footage Exists
Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (Rtd), has dismissed claims that the former military leader died during an intimate encounter with a woman, stating that he possesses CCTV footage of Abacha’s final moments.
General Sani Abacha served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from November 1993 until his death in June 1998. Over the years, Al-Mustapha has consistently maintained that Abacha’s death resulted from poisoning allegedly delivered through a handshake with a security operative attached to a visiting foreign dignitary.
Speaking with journalists in Kaduna, as reported by The Nation, Al-Mustapha described recent claims by Dennis Amachree, a retired Department of State Services (DSS) operative, as false and misleading. He further alleged that the author had been influenced by unnamed individuals to promote the narrative.
According to Al-Mustapha, “The author was encouraged by others to write those falsehoods. I have all the CCTV footage of what happened in my custody, and what he stated is not true.”
He urged the public to disregard the allegations, emphasizing that it was inappropriate to make unverified claims about a deceased individual who could no longer defend himself.
“Just ignore those false claims. It is wrong to say such things about someone who is no longer alive,” he said.
He further stated, “I want to assure you that the author of the book is acting according to a script. He is not acting alone. At the appropriate time, I will respond to these allegations. You do not reveal your plans to your opponents.”
The controversy followed the publication of Amachree’s 348-page memoir, DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield, in which the retired intelligence officer claimed that Abacha died in the early hours of June 8, 1998, after suffering what he described as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.
In the book, Amachree alleged that the incident occurred at the Presidential Villa Guest House, Aso Rock, Abuja, and involved a Nigerian pharmacist. He wrote that the account represented what he considered the most accurate explanation of the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, arguing that it addressed years of speculation and conspiracy theories.
General Abacha died in June 1998, barely one month before the death of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola, the widely acknowledged winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. At the time of his death, Abiola was in government detention, having been imprisoned on allegations of treason and related offences following the annulment of the 1993 presidential election.