A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has claimed that late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, died of a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Amachree made the disclosure in his memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, excerpts of which were published by The Nation on Tuesday.
According to the retired intelligence officer, Abacha suffered the fatal cardiac episode around 4:05 a.m. on June 8, 1998, while in the company of a female pharmacist.
He alleged that the woman later informed investigators that the former military ruler suddenly became unresponsive during the encounter. The woman reportedly left the Villa shortly afterwards and travelled to Lagos before security agencies could question her.
Amachree said he was directed by DSS headquarters to track down and interrogate the woman in Lagos. Recounting the meeting, he quoted her as saying: “I did not kill him, he died on top of me.”
The former DSS officer maintained that the woman’s account supports the view that Abacha died from a coitus-induced cardiac arrest, dismissing longstanding conspiracy theories surrounding the former military ruler’s death.
Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death on June 8, 1998. His sudden demise has remained the subject of speculation and conflicting accounts for nearly three decades.
