Dennis Amachree Says His Investigation Debunks Long-Standing Theories Surrounding Former Military Ruler’s Death
A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has provided a fresh account of the circumstances surrounding the death of Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, claiming the late military ruler died of a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The revelation is contained in Amachree’s newly released 348-page memoir, “DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield,” in which he recounted his role in the investigation that followed Abacha’s sudden death on June 8, 1998.
According to Amachree, Abacha suffered what he described as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest at about 4:05 a.m. while in the company of a woman at the Presidential Villa Guest House.
He claimed the woman, whom he identified as a pharmacist, was the younger sister of Abacha’s girlfriend and had accompanied her sister to the Villa before the girlfriend left, leaving the younger woman alone with the Head of State.
Amachree wrote that the woman later fled Abuja but was tracked to Lagos by DSS operatives and questioned as part of the investigation.
According to the retired intelligence officer, the woman told investigators: “I did not kill him, he died on top of me.” He said her account, combined with the findings of his investigation, convinced him that Abacha died of a heart attack and not from poisoning or any assassination plot.
The former DSS officer also dismissed long-standing conspiracy theories, including claims that the late military ruler died after eating a poisoned apple or was assassinated through other covert means. He argued that many previous accounts were based on speculation rather than firsthand investigative findings.
General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death on June 8, 1998. Nearly three decades later, the circumstances surrounding his death continue to generate public debate, with Amachree’s memoir adding another perspective based on his account as a member of the security team involved in the investigation.
