By Our Reporter
Twenty eight years after, a former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has offered fresh insights into the death of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, maintaining that the late ruler died of a heart attack rather than under the controversial circumstances often suggested over the years.
Amachree made the disclosure in his newly released book and reiterated his position during an interview, where he dismissed several long-standing theories surrounding Abacha’s death.
“A lot of people have come up with different stories about what happened, but they were not aware of the facts. They were looking at events from the outside and drawing conclusions.
“Some even claimed certain actions caused his death, but they are not doctors and cannot say with certainty what killed him,” he said.
According to the former DSS officer, the most crucial witness to the events leading to Abacha’s death was a woman who was with him shortly before he died. He said she was later brought in for questioning after the incident.
Amachree explained that the woman had arrived at the residence with her sister, who was reportedly an acquaintance of the former military leader.
“The girl who was with him when he died was later brought to me for questioning. When she entered my office, the first thing she said was, ‘I did not kill him.’ She was very direct about it,” he recalled.
He said the woman’s account remained credible after extensive questioning and that he found no reason to doubt her version of events.
“I had to believe her because she had no reason to lie to me. I did not create an atmosphere that would make her feel threatened.
“Her account remains the only true eyewitness account of what happened because nobody else was in that room with them,” he said.
Drawing from her testimony and the findings of the investigation, Amachree concluded that Abacha died from natural causes.
“From everything she told me and from what I gathered during the investigation, I strongly believe it was a heart attack. She did not know he was dead while she was with him, but later realized something was wrong. In my assessment, his death was the result of a heart attack,” he stated.
The latest revelations add a new dimension to the enduring debate over the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998, a subject that has continued to generate speculation and controversy nearly three decades later.
