Abacha’s death: Amachree again dismisses Al-Mustapha’s CCTV claim, insists book containing details was vetted by DSS
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has dismissed claims by Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, that his former boss did not die during a sexual encounter as contained in his book, DSS @40, My Journey Behind the Shield.
Al-Mustapha had faulted Amachree’s account and claimed he has CCTV footage of Abacha’s final hours that contradicts the book.
He accused the retired DSS officer of acting out a script.
“The boy was asked to write the lies by others. I have all the CCTV footage of what happened in my custody, so what he said is not true,” Al-Mustapha said.
But in an interview with The Nation, Amachree challenged Al-Mustapha to provide evidence instead of resorting to personal attacks.
“If he says he knows what happened that night, let him release the CCTV footage,” he said.
Amachree said his memoir was vetted and approved by the DSS before publication as part of activities marking the agency’s 40th anniversary.
According to him, the Service invited him from the United States for the book launch, which was attended by senior security officials, state directors of the DSS and members of the diplomatic community.
He also faulted Al-Mustapha’s description of him as “a boy,” arguing that his career progression in the DSS placed him above the retired army major in rank.
“I was seven years old when Nigeria gained independence. I retired as an Assistant Director, which in army terms is equivalent to a brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a major,” Amachree said.
