Nearly three decades after the death of Nigeria's former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, a retired senior operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) has offered a fresh insider account of the circumstances surrounding the military ruler's final hours.

He claimed that Abacha died from a cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The account, contained in a newly published memoir by retired DSS Assistant Director Dennis Amachree, seeks to challenge the numerous conspiracy theories that have surrounded Abacha's sudden death on June 8, 1998.

Amachree, who served as Assistant Director of Operations and Intelligence at the Lagos Command of the then State Security Service (SSS) at the time of Abacha's death, disclosed the account in his book, "DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield."

According to excerpts published by The Nation, the retired intelligence officer stated that the late military ruler died at about 4:05 a.m. during an intimate encounter with a female pharmacist at the Presidential Guest House inside Aso Rock Villa.

He alleged that the woman had accompanied her elder sister, described as Abacha's girlfriend, to the Presidential Villa after arriving in Abuja for a professional conference.

According to Amachree, the elder sister later returned to her hotel, leaving the younger woman alone with the Head of State.

The retired DSS officer narrated that after the elder sister departed, Abacha spent time with the younger woman before the encounter turned fatal.

According to his account, the pharmacist noticed that the Head of State had suddenly become motionless during intercourse.

She reportedly attempted to check his pulse but found no signs of life.

Panicked by the development, she hurriedly dressed and informed a soldier on duty that the Head of State had instructed that she be taken back to her hotel.

Unaware of the unfolding emergency, the soldier arranged transportation back to the Nicon Noga Hilton Hotel.

After informing her elder sister about what had happened, the pharmacist allegedly left Abuja on the 7:00 a.m. Okada Air flight to Lagos.

Amachree stated that Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, then Chief Security Officer to the Head of State, was informed of Abacha's deteriorating condition around 5:00 a.m.

Upon learning that a woman had been with the military ruler before his death, security operatives reportedly moved to locate her.

However, by the time DSS officials arrived at the Hilton Hotel, the pharmacist had already departed for Lagos.

According to the retired operative, he subsequently received instructions from the DSS headquarters in Abuja to locate and interrogate the woman.

His team allegedly tracked her to Ogudu, Lagos, where she was taken in for questioning.

Amachree claimed that during the interrogation, the pharmacist's first words were:

"I did not kill him, he died on top of me."

He said the woman later gave a detailed statement describing the events leading to Abacha's death before she was immediately flown back to Abuja for further investigation.

The former intelligence officer argued that the woman's testimony supports the conclusion that Abacha suffered a coitus-induced cardiac arrest, dismissing numerous conspiracy theories that have circulated since 1998.

Among the theories that emerged after Abacha's sudden death were claims that he had been poisoned by foreign agents, killed through poisoned fruit, or died after spending time with women allegedly flown into the country from India.

Amachree maintained that his account represents the factual version of events known to the security services and should put to rest what he described as decades of speculation, misinformation and half-truths surrounding the former military ruler's death.

General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998, presiding over one of the country's most controversial military administrations.

His government was marked by allegations of widespread human rights abuses, suppression of political opposition, and the imprisonment of pro-democracy activists.

His sudden death came at a critical moment in Nigeria's political transition.

Barely one month later, Chief Moshood Kashimawo (MKO) Abiola, widely regarded as the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, also died while in government custody during negotiations over his possible release.

The two deaths paved the way for General Abdulsalami Abubakar to assume leadership and oversee Nigeria's transition to democratic rule in 1999.

Amachree's account offers one of the most detailed insider narratives published by a former senior security official, it represents his personal recollection as documented in his memoir.

Successive Nigerian governments have not officially reopened or revised the circumstances surrounding Abacha's death.