Ex-DSS Official Claims Abacha Died of Heart Attack During Intercourse

A retired Department of State Services official has offered a new account of how Nigeria's former military ruler Sani Abacha died, claiming the strongman suffered a fatal heart attack while in private with a woman at the presidential villa in Abuja on June 8, 1998. Denni Amachree, who served as an assistant director in the DSS intelligence operations division during Abacha's rule, made the disclosure in a newly published memoir titled "DSS 40: Journey Behind the Shield." Amachree's version directly challenges long-standing conspiracy theories that Abacha was poisoned.

According to Amachree's account, the incident occurred in the early morning hours, around 4:05 a.m., when Abacha was alone with a female pharmacist at the villa. The woman discovered him unresponsive and left the presidential grounds.

Amachree identifies the woman as Abacha's girlfriend, noting that Abacha had reportedly given her a sport utility vehicle as a gift. Beyond the circumstances of his death, Amachree's memoir also portrays Abacha's five-and-a-half-year regime as marked by systematic repression.

The retired intelligence officer describes the period as characterized by widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial executions. Amachree also reveals that despite his grip on power, Abacha had plans to transition Nigeria from military to civilian rule before his death.

Amachree's account stands out as a first-hand recollection from someone positioned within the security apparatus during Abacha's tenure. The memoir excerpt was published in a national newspaper on Tuesday, offering readers rare insider perspective on events that shaped Nigeria's political history nearly three decades ago.