Former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has disputed claims made by a former Department of State Services (DSS) officer about the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, saying he has CCTV footage that could challenge the account.
Al-Mustapha made the statement on Saturday during the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House, Kaduna.
He was reacting to claims by retired DSS officer Dennis Amachree, who reportedly gave an account of Abacha’s final moments in his memoir, *The Shadow Warrior*.
Al-Mustapha dismissed the claims as false, alleging that Amachree was influenced by others to present an inaccurate version of events.
“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,” Al-Mustapha said.
The retired army officer did not disclose the contents of the footage or state whether it would be made available to the public.
He also urged Nigerians to disregard Amachree’s account, arguing that allegations against a deceased person should be handled with caution.
“Just ignore his lies. It’s bad to say such things about someone who is dead,” he said.
Abacha died on June 8, 1998, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Federal Government at the time announced that he died following a sudden illness.
However, the circumstances surrounding his death have remained a subject of debate, with former military officers, intelligence officials and political figures offering different accounts over the years.
Amachree, a retired Assistant Director of the DSS who served during the Abacha administration, recently renewed discussions about the events surrounding the former military ruler’s final hours through his memoir.
Abacha came to power after a military coup on November 17, 1993, and ruled Nigeria until his death in 1998.
Al-Mustapha, who was one of Abacha’s closest aides, has continued to defend the late leader and reject allegations he considers inaccurate.
After Abacha’s death, Al-Mustapha was arrested in 1999 and prosecuted over allegations linked to the attempted murder of publisher Alex Ibru and the killing of Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Moshood Abiola. He was later discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013 after spending years in detention.
