The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has instituted a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, 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 as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages, N200 million as the cost of the action, and an order compelling Matthew to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
He is also asking the court to direct the defendant to pin the apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the alleged defamatory statements were published for 30 days.
The Chief of Staff, through his legal team from Pinheiro LP led by Kemi Pinheiro, described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
In the statement of claim, Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Matthew or authorising anyone to act on his behalf.
According to the court processes, Matthew alleged at a press conference that a disagreement arose after Gbajabiamila purportedly 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 on behalf of the Chief of Staff, while an additional N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.
“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 referred to Matthew’s claims regarding the alleged mysterious death of an intermediary, Mr Babatunde Tanimola, whom he claimed served as the link between himself and the Chief of Staff. Matthew alleged that Tanimola died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
According to the court documents, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers issued a cease-and-desist notice, which was published in several national newspapers, on July 7, 2026. Rather than retract the allegations, Matthew allegedly granted an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan.
In his witness statement on oath, Gbajabiamila contended that Matthew made several admissions during the interview that contradicted his earlier allegations. He said the defendant admitted that he had never met him in person, had never conducted a video call or any other form of verification to confirm the identity of the person he believed to be the Chief of Staff, and that all communications were conducted through the late Tanimola.
Gbajabiamila further alleged that despite those admissions, Matthew repeated the allegations during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television on July 13, 2026.
The court filings also disclosed that Matthew was already facing criminal prosecution before a Federal High Court, Abuja, when he made the allegations, over charges bordering on forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.
The Chief of Staff told the court that allegations accusing him of demanding bribes, abusing his office and interfering with law enforcement agencies were entirely false and had caused grave damage to his personal and professional reputation. He maintained that he had built his reputation over several decades of public service on integrity, honesty and fidelity to duty.
