Al-Mustapha dismisses rumours of Abacha’s death, claims he has CCTV footage

Hamza Al-Mustapha, the former chief security officer to former president Sani Abacha, who was the military head of state, has said he has video footage of the death of the ex-President, refuting the claims that he passed away during an intimate relationship with a woman, according to a new publication.

Sani Abacha served as the military leader of Nigeria between November 1993 and June 1998.

Al-Mustapha had maintained all along that former President Abacha died as a result of a handshake with a security officer of a visiting dignitary.

In his comments to reporters in Kaduna, as cited in The Nation, Hamza Al-Mustapha said the story by Dennis Amachree, a former Department of State Services (DSS) agent, is not true.

“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.

The former CSO urged the public to disregard the allegations, saying it was wrong to make such claims about someone who could no longer respond.

“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.”

The controversy followed claims made by Amachree in his 348-page memoir, ‘DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield’, in which he said Abacha died in the early hours of June 8, 1998, after suffering what he described as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.

Amachree detailed that the incident occurred inside the Aso Rock Presidential Villa Guest House 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 died barely a month before the passing of MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Abiola was in prison custody during the Abacha junta for alleged insurrection and treason following the annulment of the presidential election.