According to a report by Punch published on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, retired Department of State Services (DSS) official Dennis Amachree has offered a fresh account of the circumstances surrounding the death of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, disputing the long-held belief that the late ruler died as a result of poisoning.
Amachree made the claims in his newly released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, where he reflected on his years of service in the intelligence agency. He explained that he was serving as the Assistant Director of Operations and Intelligence at the DSS Lagos State Command when Abacha died on June 8, 1998.
According to the former intelligence officer, Abacha suffered a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter in the early hours of the morning at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He alleged that the woman involved had accompanied her elder sister to the Presidential Villa after arriving from a hotel in the Federal Capital Territory.
Amachree claimed that after noticing Abacha had become unresponsive, the woman became frightened and quietly requested transportation back to her hotel. He further alleged that she boarded an early morning flight to Lagos before security agencies became aware of what had occurred.
The retired DSS officer stated that Abacha’s Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, was informed of the development at about 5 a.m., after which efforts began to trace the woman. According to him, the DSS headquarters subsequently instructed him to locate and question her in Lagos regarding the events that led to the former military leader’s death.
Amachree maintained that the woman’s account pointed to a medical emergency rather than foul play. He argued that her version of events contradicts the long-standing claims that Abacha was poisoned, including the widely circulated story involving poisoned apples.
General Abacha governed Nigeria from November 1993 until his sudden death in June 1998. Nearly three decades later, the circumstances surrounding his passing remain one of the country’s most controversial political subjects, with different accounts continuing to emerge. Amachree’s memoir has introduced another perspective to the debate, although his account represents his personal recollection of the incident and contributes to the ongoing discussion over the former leader’s final moments…..See More
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