Ex-DSS director says Abacha died of heart attack, not poison

About 28 years after the death of former Head of State General Sani Abacha, a former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, has dismissed poisoning claims and insisted the late military ruler died of a heart attack.

Dennis Amachree made the disclosure in his newly released book and during an interview with TVC News on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

He said most accounts of Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998, were based on speculation rather than firsthand evidence.

—“She said, ‘I did not kill him’”—

Amachree, who was involved in the investigation at the time, said investigators questioned a woman who was reportedly with Abacha shortly before he died.

He described her testimony as the only direct witness account of what happened in the room.

“The girl who was with him when he died was later brought to me for questioning. When she entered my office, the first thing she said was, ‘I did not kill him.’ She was very direct about it,” Amachree recalled.

He said the woman arrived at the presidential residence with her sister, who was said to know Abacha. After extensive questioning, Amachree said he found her account credible.

“I had to believe her because she had no reason to lie to me. I did not create an atmosphere that would make her feel threatened. Her account remains the only true witness account of what happened because nobody else was in that room with them,” he said.

—Natural causes, not foul play—

Based on the woman’s testimony and other findings, Amachree concluded that Abacha’s death was due to natural causes.

“From everything she told me and from what I gathered during the investigation, I strongly believe it was a heart attack. She did not know he was dead while she was with him, but later realized something was wrong. In my assessment, his death was the result of a heart attack,” he stated.

Amachree faulted many public theories, saying “a lot of people have come up with different stories about what happened, but they were not aware of the facts. They were looking at events from the outside and drawing conclusions.”

—Decades of debate—

Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his sudden death in 1998 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

The circumstances of his death have fueled decades of debate, with theories ranging from poisoning to assassination.

Medical reports issued at the time cited cardiac arrest, but controversy persisted due to lack of an independent autopsy and the secretive nature of the Abacha regime.

Amachree’s account adds an insider perspective to the long-running speculation, though it is unlikely to settle the debate for many Nigerians who still question the official version.