A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has provided a new account of the circumstances surrounding the death of former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, claiming the military ruler died from a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter.
Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998, died at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, an event that has remained surrounded by speculation, rumours and competing accounts over the years.
Amachree, who was serving as Assistant Director of Operations and Intelligence at the Lagos DSS Command when Abacha died, detailed his account in his new book, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield.
According to him, Abacha died at about 4:05 a.m. at the Aso Rock Guest House while he was with a woman who had accompanied her elder sister, described as the late Head of State’s girlfriend.
Amachree said the woman, identified as a pharmacist who was in Abuja for a conference, later left the guest house and travelled to Lagos after the incident.
Recounting the events, he said the elder sister had visited Abacha with her younger sibling after the former leader reportedly acquired a new sport utility vehicle for her.
He claimed that after spending some time with Abacha, the elder sister returned to her hotel, leaving the pharmacist alone with the Head of State.
Amachree said the woman later realised that Abacha had become unresponsive and immediately raised alarm before leaving the guest house in panic.
He stated that security personnel on duty were unaware of the situation and arranged transportation for her after she said Abacha had requested a vehicle to take her back to her hotel.
According to the former DSS officer, security officials later became aware of the development and attempted to locate the woman after questions were raised about who had been with Abacha before his death.
He said DSS operatives were sent to the hotel where she had been staying, but she had already departed for Lagos.
Amachree disclosed that his team later traced the woman to Lagos, where he personally interviewed her after receiving instructions from DSS headquarters.
He quoted her as saying: “I did not kill him, he died on top of me.”
The former intelligence officer said after hearing her account, he contacted senior officials in Abuja, leading to her return for further discussions.
Amachree maintained that the woman’s account provided the explanation for Abacha’s death, arguing that it dispelled long-standing conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.
Abacha’s death occurred less than a month before the death of Moshood Abiola, presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Abiola had remained in detention under the Abacha administration after being arrested on allegations of treason and insurrection following his declaration of himself as president-elect.
