The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, over allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.
In the suit, Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 billion in general damages, N5 billion in aggravated damages, N200 million as the cost of litigation, and an order compelling Matthew to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
He also asked the court to order the defendant to pin the apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the alleged defamatory statements were published for 30 days.
According to court documents, Matthew had alleged during a press conference that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s N27.3 billion take-off grant. He further claimed that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy acting for the Chief of Staff, while an additional N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila, through his lawyers from Pinheiro LP led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
In the statement of claim, the Chief of Staff denied ever meeting Matthew or authorising anyone to demand or receive money on his behalf.
“The Claimant has never met the Defendant, never held any meeting with him and has never authorised any intermediary, representative, agent or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf,” the court filing stated.
The suit also referenced Matthew’s claims that an intermediary, Babatunde Tanimola, who allegedly linked him with the Chief of Staff, died in a suspicious hotel fire in Abuja in October 2025 after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
Matthew also alleged that he survived an assassination attempt on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and claimed that a “directive from above” led security agencies to discontinue efforts to recover mobile phones he said contained evidence supporting his claims.
However, Gbajabiamila denied any involvement in the alleged incidents, insisting he had no knowledge of Tanimola, the alleged attack or any attempt to interfere with investigations by security agencies.
The court documents revealed that the Chief of Staff’s solicitors issued a cease-and-desist notice on July 6, 2026, which was published in national newspapers the following day, demanding an immediate retraction and apology.
Rather than withdraw the allegations, the suit stated that Matthew granted further interviews, including one with social media influencer VeryDarkMan and another on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he allegedly repeated the claims.
In his witness statement on oath, Gbajabiamila argued that Matthew made admissions during the VeryDarkMan interview that contradicted his earlier allegations.
According to the claimant, Matthew admitted he had never met Gbajabiamila, never spoke with him through a video call or any other means to verify his identity, and that all communications were allegedly conducted through the late Tanimola.
Gbajabiamila further stated that Matthew admitted he could neither confirm nor deny whether the Chief of Staff was telling the truth and intended to submit his documents to law enforcement agencies for verification.
The Chief of Staff described those admissions as evidence that the defendant made serious allegations of corruption without first verifying the facts.
Court filings also disclosed that Matthew is already facing criminal prosecution before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a separate case involving allegations of forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.
Gbajabiamila maintained that he had never demanded any kickback, received any money through proxies, abused his office or influenced the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), or any other agency to harass or investigate the defendant.
He told the court that the allegations had severely damaged his personal and professional reputation, generated widespread public scrutiny, and prompted enquiries from associates within and outside Nigeria.
According to him, he chose not to respond publicly because he believed the courtroom was the proper forum to resolve the dispute.
The FCT High Court has directed Matthew to enter an appearance within 14 days of being served with the originating processes or risk judgment being entered against him in default.
