Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree, has described the regime of late military Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha, as one of "extreme authoritarianism and brutal repression."
The retired intelligence officer added that Abacha's regime was marked by widespread human rights violations and political persecution.
Amachree made the remarks in his new memoir, 'DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield,' excerpts of which were published by The Nation on Tuesday.
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According to the retired intelligence officer, Abacha's five-and-a-half-year rule was characterised by arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings.
"Abacha's five-and-a-half-year rule was a period of extreme authoritarianism and brutal repression. His regime was widely condemned for widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings," he said.
He further claimed that the number of political detainees during Abacha's administration exceeded those recorded throughout the entire British colonial era.
"The number of political detainees during his tenure reportedly exceeded the total from the entire British colonial period," he stated.
Amachree recalled that a few days before his death, Abacha received Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's emissaries and later hosted Pope John Paul II, who appealed for the release of political detainees.
He said: "Indeed, the Pope was the last visitor that Gen. Abacha received."
The former DSS operative said Abacha's sudden death has remained the subject of conflicting narratives and conspiracy theories for nearly three decades.
"Many accounts were published, but few were based on verifiable facts. These range from fictional stories of a poisoned apple from disaffected soldiers, to more sensational claims involving foreign intelligence agencies."
Amachree disputed several widely circulated accounts of the former military ruler's death, including those attributed to The Irish Times journalist David Orr, former United States National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Abacha's former Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Gen. Jeremiah Useni, retired military doctor Brig.-Gen. Oviemo Ovadje, and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode.
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On Al-Mustapha's account, he wrote, "As Abacha's Chief Security Officer, his account is often considered a key source, though it contains notable inconsistencies. He claimed Abacha's health collapsed after a handshake with a security guard of a visiting dignitary. This version, while exonerating the 'poisoned apple' theory, differs significantly from other timelines and accounts."
Amachree also dismissed conspiracy theories linking the Central Intelligence Agency, foreign prostitutes and poisoned apples to Abacha's death.
He said, "The most sensational of these stories of imported Indian prostitutes, a poisoned apple, and CIA involvement have been widely circulated, muddying the historical record."
Amachree said his decision to write about the incident was informed by a desire to preserve what he believes is an accurate account.
"As a security professional who was in the thick of it, I feel compelled to set the record straight and provide the true narrative for posterity," he said.
Amachree further argued that Al-Mustapha's account contained what he described as a significant gap.
"He missed the one-and-a-half-hour window after Gen. Useni's departure that provides the key to the mystery," he said.
