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A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has challenged longstanding claims that former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, was poisoned, insisting that available evidence points to a fatal heart attack.
Amachree made the assertion in his newly released book and reiterated it during an interview with TVC News, where he said many narratives surrounding Abacha’s death were based on speculation rather than verified facts.
Abacha died on June 8, 1998, while serving as Nigeria’s Head of State. Nearly three decades later, the circumstances of his death remain a subject of public debate, with various theories continuing to circulate.
According to Amachree, many of those who advanced alternative explanations lacked direct knowledge of the events surrounding the former leader’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,” he said.
“Some even claimed certain actions caused his death, but they are not doctors and cannot say with certainty what killed him.”
The former DSS official revealed that investigators questioned a woman who was reportedly with Abacha shortly before his death, describing her testimony as the only direct eyewitness account of what transpired in the room.
He said the woman, who arrived at the residence with her sister, was later brought in for questioning as part of the investigation.
“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,” Amachree recalled.
He said extensive questioning convinced him that the woman was truthful and had no reason to fabricate her account.
“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.
Based on the witness testimony and the findings of the investigation, Amachree maintained that Abacha died of 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.
His remarks add a fresh perspective to one of Nigeria’s most debated political mysteries, even as questions surrounding Abacha’s death continue to generate public interest years after the event.
