Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has claimed that Nigeria’s late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, died of cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter in June 1998.

The claim is contained in Amachree’s newly released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, where he recounted what he described as the events surrounding Abacha’s final hours.

Claims in the Memoir

According to Amachree, Abacha’s girlfriend visited the Aso Rock Guest House in the early hours of June 8, 1998, accompanied by her younger sister, a pharmacist who was in Abuja for a conference.

He alleged that after the girlfriend left the villa, Abacha remained alone with the younger woman.

“At about 4.05 a.m., as they were getting intimate, the pharmacist realised Abacha had stopped moving. She called out to him, but he was unresponsive and stiff. She checked his pulse; there was none,” Amachree wrote.

Alleged Investigation

Amachree further claimed that the woman later returned to her hotel and travelled to Lagos before security officials became aware of the incident.

He said she was subsequently traced and questioned by his team.

“The first thing she said to me was, ‘I did not kill him, he died on top of me,'” he wrote, adding that after taking her statement, she was flown back to Abuja.

Amachree maintained that her account supports his claim that Abacha suffered a cardiac arrest during the encounter.

A Long-Running Debate

Gen. Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his sudden death on June 8, 1998.

His death has remained one of the country’s most debated historical events, with several theories emerging over the years. The account contained in Amachree’s memoir represents his personal recollection and has not been independently verified by the Federal Government or other official sources.

The publication has reignited public interest in the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death nearly three decades later.