Former DSS assistant director Dennis Amachree is calling on Hamza Al-Mustapha to back up his claims with proof.
The challenge comes after Amachree described the death of former military ruler Sani Abacha in his new memoir, DSS @ 40: My Journey Behind the Shield. In the book, Amachree wrote that Abacha died in June 1998 from a coitus-induced cardiac arrest.
Al-Mustapha, who served as Abacha’s chief security officer, dismissed the account. He accused Amachree of following “a script” written by others and said he has CCTV footage from that night that contradicts the story.
Amachree fired back in an interview with The Nation. He said personal attacks won’t settle it.
“If he says he knows what happened that night, let him release the CCTV footage,” Amachree said.
He also noted the book was reviewed and approved by the DSS ahead of the agency’s 40th anniversary launch. According to him, he was flown in from the United States for the event, which had senior security officials, state DSS directors and diplomats in attendance.
Amachree also rejected Al-Mustapha’s reference to him as “a boy.” He said he joined the service much earlier, retired as an assistant director, equivalent to a brigadier in the army, while Al-Mustapha retired as a major.
The dispute centers on one of Nigeria’s most debated moments, and Amachree says the footage Al-Mustapha claims to have is the only way to settle it.
