Al-Mustapha rejects book claims on Abacha death

A former top security aide to the late Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha has publicly rejected a sensational account of Abacha's death, claiming to possess evidence that contradicts the story. Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, who served as Abacha's Chief Security Officer, dismissed the narrative contained in a book by a former operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) as false and urged the public to disregard it.

Speaking to journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Al-Mustapha alleged that the author, identified as Mr. Amachree, was influenced by others to publish lies. "The boy was asked to write the lies by others. I have all the CCTV footage of what happened in my custody, so what he said is not true," Al-Mustapha stated. He argued it was wrong to make false claims about someone who is no longer alive to defend himself.

The disputed account, attributed to Amachree, describes Abacha's final hours in June 1998. It alleges that after a visit from General Jeremiah Useni, Abacha was visited at the Aso Rock Guest House by a girlfriend and her younger sister, a pharmacist. The account claims Abacha became interested in the sister, who stayed behind, and that he died...