Al-Mustapha Dismisses Claims On Abacha’s Death, Says He Has CCTV Footage
Hamza Al-Mustapha, the former chief security officer to late military ruler Sani Abacha, has rejected fresh claims surrounding the circumstances of the former Head of State’s death, insisting he possesses CCTV footage that tells a different story.
Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998.
Speaking with journalists in Kaduna, Al-Mustapha dismissed allegations made by retired Department of State Services (DSS) operative Dennis Amachree, who recently claimed in his memoir that Abacha died after suffering a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter.
According to Al-Mustapha, the account is false and was written at the prompting of unnamed individuals.
“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.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the allegations, arguing that it was unfair to make such claims against someone who is no longer alive to defend himself.
“Just ignore his lies. It’s bad to say such things about someone that is dead,” he said.
“But I want to assure you that the author of the book is acting out a script. He is not acting alone.
“At the appropriate time, I will respond to these lies. You don’t tell your enemies your plans.”
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The controversy stems from claims contained in Amachree’s 348-page memoir, DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield, where he alleged that Abacha died in the early hours of June 8, 1998, after experiencing what he described as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.
According to the retired DSS officer, the incident occurred at the Presidential Villa Guest House inside Aso Rock and involved a Nigerian pharmacist.
“The lady pharmacist on whom Abacha apparently had a coitus-induced cardiac arrest, remains the true position and puts an end to the conspiracy theories and half-truths that have gone viral,” Amachree wrote.
Abacha’s death came just weeks before the death of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, who was being held in detention by the military government on charges of treason and insurrection.