By The Analyst Online Media
Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd.), has dismissed recent claims that the former military ruler died during an intimate encounter with a woman, insisting that he possesses CCTV footage documenting Abacha's final moments.
Speaking with journalists in Kaduna, Al-Mustapha described the allegation as false and politically motivated, maintaining that the account published by retired Department of State Services (DSS) officer Dennis Amachree does not reflect what actually transpired.
"I have all the CCTV footages of what happened in my custody, so what he said are not true," Al-Mustapha was quoted as saying.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the claims, arguing that it was unfair to make damaging allegations against someone who is no longer alive to defend himself.
"It is bad to say such things about someone who is dead," he said, adding that the author of the account was "acting out a script" and promising to respond in detail at an appropriate time.
The controversy follows the publication of Amachree's 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 allegedly suffering a cardiac arrest during sexual intercourse inside the Presidential Villa Guest House in Abuja.
According to the book, the incident involved a Nigerian pharmacist, with Amachree arguing that the account should put an end to long-standing conspiracy theories surrounding Abacha's sudden death.
However, Al-Mustapha has consistently rejected alternative narratives surrounding the former military leader's death. In previous public statements, he alleged that Abacha may have been poisoned through a handshake with a security operative attached to a visiting foreign dignitary.
General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998. His administration remains one of the most controversial periods in Nigeria's political history, marked by allegations of human rights abuses, the imprisonment of political opponents, and economic reforms.
Nearly three decades after his death, the circumstances surrounding Abacha's final hours continue to generate public debate, with differing accounts from former government officials, security personnel, and other individuals who served during his administration.
To date, no new official investigation has been announced to independently verify the competing claims regarding the cause of Abacha's death.