Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has instituted a ₦15 billion defamation suit against 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 ₦27.3 billion take-off grant allegedly approved for a federal agency.
The suit marks the latest development in the controversy surrounding Adeyemi, who is separately facing criminal charges over allegations of forgery, impersonation and the use of forged presidential appointment documents in connection with the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the Presidency has described as non-existent.
In the civil action, Gbajabiamila is asking the court to award him ₦10 billion as general damages, ₦5 billion as aggravated damages and ₦200 million as the cost of the suit. He is also seeking an order compelling Adeyemi to publish a retraction and apology in five national newspapers and on all social media platforms where the alleged defamatory statements were made.
According to court documents obtained by Channels Television, the Chief of Staff denied ever meeting, speaking with or maintaining any form of relationship with Adeyemi. He equally denied authorising anyone to demand or receive money on his behalf.
The suit, filed by a legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kemi Pinheiro, alongside fellow senior advocates Folu Oguntade, Olukayode Enitan and Chukwudi Enebeli, described Adeyemi’s allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
The action followed claims made by Adeyemi during a press conference in which he alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a purported ₦27.3 billion take-off grant for the agency. Adeyemi further alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million through a proxy and later demanded an additional ₦200 million to facilitate presidential approvals.
In his statement on oath before the court, Gbajabiamila firmly denied the allegations, insisting that he had never demanded or received any money from Adeyemi, abused his office or interfered with law enforcement agencies in relation to the matter.
He also rejected allegations linking him to the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom Adeyemi had identified as an intermediary in the alleged transactions. The Chief of Staff further denied claims that he was connected to an alleged assassination attempt on Adeyemi or that he influenced investigations by security agencies.
Court filings revealed that Gbajabiamila’s solicitors had, on July 6, 2026, issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding that Adeyemi retract the allegations and apologise. The demand was subsequently published in national newspapers the following day.
However, instead of withdrawing the claims, the suit alleged that Adeyemi granted additional interviews, including one with social media influencer VeryDarkMan and another on Politics Today on Channels Television on July 13, 2026, where he allegedly repeated the allegations.
Gbajabiamila told the court that during one of those interviews, Adeyemi admitted that he had never met him personally and had not independently verified the identity of the individual he believed to be the Chief of Staff. According to the suit, Adeyemi acknowledged that all alleged communications were conducted through the late Babatunde Tanimola.
The claimant argued that despite those admissions, Adeyemi continued to publicly repeat the allegations, thereby causing further damage to his personal and professional reputation.
Gbajabiamila maintained that the accusations falsely portrayed him as corrupt, accusing him of bribery, abuse of office and other forms of official misconduct.
He told the court that rather than engage in a public media exchange, he opted to seek judicial redress in order to protect both his reputation and the integrity of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
The court documents also disclosed that Adeyemi is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a separate criminal case involving allegations of forging presidential documents and appointment letters linked to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The FCT High Court has directed Adeyemi to enter an appearance within 14 days after being served with the originating processes, warning that judgment may be entered against him in default if he fails to respond within the stipulated period.
The civil proceedings are separate from the ongoing criminal prosecution against Adeyemi, whose allegations against the Chief of Staff remain unproven and are the subject of active litigation before the courts.
