Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has challenged Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State Sani Abacha, to release the CCTV footage he claims captured the events leading to Abacha’s death.
The challenge follows Al-Mustapha’s rejection of claims made in Amachree’s memoir, *DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield*, where the retired intelligence officer wrote that Abacha died in June 1998 after suffering a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.
Al-Mustapha dismissed the account, alleging that Amachree had been influenced to publish false claims.
"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 said.
Responding in an interview with *The Nation*, Amachree said Al-Mustapha should back up his denial with evidence rather than personal attacks.
"If he says he knows what happened that night, let him release the CCTV footage," Amachree said.
He added that his memoir underwent review and received approval from the DSS before publication as part of activities marking the agency's 40th anniversary.
According to Amachree, the DSS invited him from the United States for the book launch, which was attended by senior security officials, state directors of the agency, and members of the diplomatic community.
He also rejected Al-Mustapha's description of him as "a boy," saying his career progression in the DSS placed him above the retired army major in rank.
"I was seven years old when Nigeria gained independence. I retired as an assistant director, which in army terms is equivalent to a brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a major," he said.
## ‘Release the CCTV footage’ — Ex-DSS director challenges Al-Mustapha over Abacha death claim
Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has challenged Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State Sani Abacha, to release the CCTV footage he claims captured the events leading to Abacha’s death.
The challenge follows Al-Mustapha’s rejection of claims made in Amachree’s memoir, *DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield*, where the retired intelligence officer wrote that Abacha died in June 1998 after suffering a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.
Al-Mustapha dismissed the account, alleging that Amachree had been influenced to publish false claims.
"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 said.
Responding in an interview with *The Nation*, Amachree said Al-Mustapha should back up his denial with evidence rather than personal attacks.
"If he says he knows what happened that night, let him release the CCTV footage," Amachree said.
He added that his memoir underwent review and received approval from the DSS before publication as part of activities marking the agency's 40th anniversary.
According to Amachree, the DSS invited him from the United States for the book launch, which was attended by senior security officials, state directors of the agency, and members of the diplomatic community.
He also rejected Al-Mustapha's description of him as "a boy," saying his career progression in the DSS placed him above the retired army major in rank.
"I was seven years old when Nigeria gained independence. I retired as an assistant director, which in army terms is equivalent to a brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a major," he said.
