A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has challenged long-standing conspiracy theories surrounding the death of former Head of State, Sani Abacha, insisting that available evidence pointed to a heart attack rather than foul play.
Amachree made the disclosure in his newly released book, which he spoke about during an interview on TVC News’ Beyond the Headlines with Nifemi Oguntoye, where he recounted details of the investigation conducted after Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998.
According to him, many accounts that have emerged over the years were based on speculation rather than firsthand knowledge of the events leading to the former military ruler’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.
Amachree revealed that investigators questioned a woman who was reportedly with Abacha shortly before he died, describing her testimony as the only direct eyewitness account of what transpired in the room.
According to him, the woman had arrived at the residence with her sister, who was said to be acquainted with the former Head of State.
“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.
The former DSS official said he found the woman’s account credible after conducting extensive questioning and saw 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 findings from the subsequent investigation, Amachree said he became convinced 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.
Abacha’s death has remained the subject of intense public debate and speculation for nearly three decades, with numerous theories emerging over the circumstances surrounding his sudden demise while in office.
