Who would have imagined that nearly three decades after the demise of Sani Abacha, we would still be arguing about how he died? The revival of the inglorious way he died is thanks to Dennis Amachree, a former assistant director of the Department of State Services who recently shared his account of Abacha’s final moments in a memoir titled “DSS @40: My journey behind the shield”. Judging by the feeble denials put up by Abacha’s henchman, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, they evidently never thought the day would come when the story would come out, so they never prepared a reasonable response. The best Al-Mustapha could manage was to claim that he had the CCTV footage of Abacha’s final moments in his custody and would release it at the “appropriate” time. What time is more appropriate than the present moment? If you have any contrary evidence, launch it right away! Also, if Al-Mustapha truly has the CCTV footage in his custody, should he not be interrogated by the relevant authorities as to what gave him the right to keep official records?
How Abacha died is a story that will never be fully told, particularly because of the embarrassing circumstances that—going by Amachree’s account—surrounded his demise. Another account states that he was killed by an American agent, although I am sceptical of that story for its heavy reliance on the word of government officials who have a motivation to cook up a conspiracy theory. Either way, Abacha died. His death will likely remain the stuff of lore forever, like the story of French president Félix Faure, who died in 1899 at the presidential residence, the Élysée Palace, after suffering a stroke. Because he was reportedly in the company of his mistress, Marguerite Steinheil, it is widely held that Faure died in active service. Just like Abacha, nobody knows for sure if he died during an intimate encounter. At least, those who knew would not confirm; those who confirm do not always know. Historians generally agree that Faure died after becoming ill during an intimate encounter, but no one will swear over it. That is how the story of Abacha’s death too will be told throughout history, disputed and affirmed according to prevailing interests. What I must admit is that I am partial to Amachree’s account because no one has shown he made up the story of interviewing the woman or that he has any motivation to lie about the whole affair.
