Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State General Sani Abacha, has fiercely rejected recent statements made by ex-Department of State Services (DSS) Assistant Director Dennis Amachree concerning the final hours of the late military ruler, branding the story as completely fabricated.
​Addressing reporters on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Arewa House in Kaduna, Al-Mustapha asserted that he remains in possession of full security camera surveillance footage from inside the Presidential Villa recorded on the night of General Abacha’s death.
​The conflict centers around claims made by Amachree in his recently published book, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, detailing the events of June 8, 1998, in Abuja.
​In his remarks, the former Chief Security Officer questioned the presence and authority of DSS operatives inside Aso Rock during the crucial hours surrounding Abacha’s sudden passing.
​”The DSS director at the time was not even in Abuja, let alone inside the Presidential Villa when General Abacha died,” Al-Mustapha stated. “How can someone who was absent present a fictional narrative as fact? The visitor logs and security records clear up any doubts.”
​Al-Mustapha further alleged that Amachree was prompted by political adversaries to malign the late ruler’s memory, promising that a comprehensive public rebuttal based on archived security footage will be released in due course.
​General Sani Abacha, who led Nigeria from November 17, 1993, until his demise on June 8, 1998, was buried on the same day in accordance with Islamic tradition, leaving the exact circumstances of his death a subject of intense debate among political figures and security analysts for decades.
