New book by ex-Nigeria top spy details how military dictator Abacha died ‘on top’ of a mistress

A former senior official of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has offered a new account of the death of former military ruler General Sani Abacha, claiming that the late head of state died during an intimate encounter with a woman at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Amachree, a former assistant director of the DSS, recounts the events surrounding Abacha’s death in his book, *DSS at 40: My Journey Behind the Shield*, challenging previously circulated accounts of how the military leader died.

According to the account discussed on Nigeria’s Arise News, Abacha died of cardiac arrest at about 4:05 am on June 8, 1998, at a guest house within the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

Amachree said he personally interrogated the woman, described as a pharmacist, after she fled the presidential complex following the incident.

He recalled that when questioned about the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, the woman insisted she was not responsible.

“I did not kill him. He died on top of me. He died on top of me,” she reportedly told him.

The account has reignited discussions about the circumstances surrounding the death of Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998.

How the pharmacist escaped Aso Rock

According to Amachree’s account in *DSS at 40: My Journey Behind the Shield*, the pharmacist panicked after discovering that Abacha was unresponsive and had no pulse.

She quickly dressed and left the guest house, telling the soldier on guard duty that the Head of State had asked for a car to take her back to her hotel. The soldier, unaware of what had happened inside, reportedly arranged transportation for her.

The woman returned to the Nicon Noga Hilton Hotel, where her elder sister, who was reportedly Abacha’s girlfriend, was staying. She informed her sister about the incident, after which they arranged for her to be driven to the Abuja airport.

She subsequently boarded a 7 am Okada Airline flight to Lagos, leaving before security officials established who had last been with the military ruler.

Amachree said the security services initially went to the hotel to arrest the girlfriend but discovered that the pharmacist they wanted to question had already left for Lagos. He said he later received instructions from the DSS national headquarters to locate the woman.

At about 8 am on June 9, 1998, Amachree said his team traced the pharmacist to an address in Ogudu, Lagos, and brought her to his office for questioning. He recalled that her first words were: “I did not kill him; he died on top of me.”

After obtaining her account, Amachree said he contacted his superiors in Abuja, following which the woman was flown back to the capital for further questioning.

Watch a video of the report below:

Revealed!!! " *Abacha Died On Top Of me...* Beware of sweet things. Dem dey kill https://t.co/id68nZhmfy

— June12 Mandate (@Gen_Buhar) October 16, 2026

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