A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has challenged Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd.), a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, to produce CCTV footage of the late military ruler’s final hours if he disputes the account contained in his memoir.
Amachree, author of ‘DSS@40’, insisted that Al-Mustapha should respond with evidence rather than dismissing the account as false.
According to Amachree, the book was subjected to official vetting by the DSS before publication and received institutional backing as part of activities marking the agency’s 40th anniversary.
He said the security agency approved the publication and invited him from the United States to attend the launch, which was attended by senior security officials, State directors of the service and members of the diplomatic community.
Amachree dismissed Al-Mustapha’s criticism of his account, saying the former army officer should present facts instead of personal attacks.
He also rejected Al-Mustapha’s description of him as “a boy.”
“I was seven years old when Nigeria gained independence,” Amachree reportedly said in an interview.
“I retired as an Assistant Director, which in army terms is equivalent to a Brigadier, while Al-Mustapha retired as a Major.”
He argued that if Al-Mustapha claims to know what transpired during Abacha’s final hours, he should provide CCTV footage or other evidence to support his position.