Former Chief Security Officer to Nigeria’s late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has accused a retired Department of State Services (DSS) officer of spreading falsehoods about the former military ruler, insisting that history should not be rewritten through unverified claims.
Al-Mustapha’s response follows recent public remarks by the former intelligence officer concerning the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, comments that have reignited long-running debates over one of Nigeria’s most controversial political figures.
Rejecting the allegations, Al-Mustapha urged Nigerians to refrain from making what he described as unfounded assertions against those who are no longer alive to defend themselves.
“Do not tell lies about the dead,” he said, maintaining that many of the narratives surrounding Abacha’s final moments are inaccurate and politically motivated. He argued that attempts to distort historical events only deepen public misunderstanding of Nigeria’s past.
The former presidential aide reiterated his long-held account that Abacha’s death was the result of a sudden medical emergency, dismissing widely circulated theories that have persisted for decades. He insisted that he witnessed the events leading to the military ruler’s death and remains committed to preserving what he described as the factual record.
The exchange has once again revived public interest in the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death in June 1998, a subject that continues to generate conflicting accounts nearly three decades later.
While no new official investigation has been announced, the latest war of words underscores how the legacy of the late military leader remains one of the most fiercely contested chapters in Nigeria’s political history.
