Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a ₦15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, 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.
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In the suit filed through his legal team at Pinheiro LP, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Gbajabiamila is seeking ₦10 billion as general damages, ₦5 billion as aggravated damages, and ₦200 million as the cost of the action.
He is also asking the court to compel Matthew to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
Gbajabiamila further wants the court to direct the defendant to pin the apology for 30 days on all social media platforms and online channels where the allegedly defamatory statements were published.
According to the statement of claim, the Chief of Staff described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory, insisting that he never met Matthew, never communicated with him, and never authorised any person to act on his behalf.
The case arose from claims allegedly made by Matthew during a press conference, where he reportedly alleged that a disagreement occurred after Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the alleged ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.
Matthew was also said to have alleged that ₦400 million had already been paid through a proxy on behalf of the Chief of Staff, while an additional ₦200 million was allegedly required to secure presidential approvals.
In the court processes, Gbajabiamila denied the allegations in strong terms.
“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 claim concerning the alleged mysterious death of one Mr. Babatunde Tanimola, whom he reportedly described as the intermediary between himself and the Chief of Staff.
Matthew allegedly claimed that Tanimola died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
He suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petition was also said to have claimed that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025.
According to the court filings, Matthew further alleged that a “directive from above” was issued to the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Police Force to stop efforts to recover his stolen mobile phones, which he claimed contained crucial evidence.
Gbajabiamila denied all the allegations, including claims that he demanded bribes, received money through proxies, abused his office, manipulated security agencies, intimidated media organisations or interfered with any investigation.
He also denied instructing the Nigeria Police Force, DSS, EFCC, ICPC or any other law enforcement agency to harass, intimidate or investigate Matthew.
The Chief of Staff further denied any involvement in, or knowledge of, matters relating to the late Babatunde Tanimola or the alleged attempts on Matthew’s life.
TNL recalls that Gbajabiamila’s lawyers had earlier issued a cease-and-desist notice dated July 6, 2026, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the allegations, a public retraction and an unconditional apology.
According to the new court filings, the notice was published in national newspapers on July 7, 2026, but Matthew allegedly failed to retract the allegations.
Rather than withdraw the claims, Gbajabiamila alleged that Matthew granted an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, where he allegedly made statements that contradicted his earlier allegations.
In his witness statement on oath, Gbajabiamila said Matthew admitted during the interview that he had never met him in person and 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.
According to the deposition, Matthew also allegedly admitted that all communications were conducted through the late Tanimola.
Gbajabiamila said he found it disturbing that despite admitting he never met him or independently verified his identity, Matthew continued to insist that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback, received ₦400 million through a proxy and expected an additional ₦200 million.
He further said Matthew allegedly stated during the interview that he could neither say Gbajabiamila was lying nor affirm that he was telling the truth, a position the claimant said was materially different from the categorical allegations made at the press conference.
The Chief of Staff also noted that Matthew said he intended to submit documents in his possession to the police for verification.
Gbajabiamila said he found that position surprising because, according to him, Matthew had already publicly accused him of serious criminal conduct before taking steps to verify the allegations with him or with relevant authorities.
The court filings also alleged that despite another opportunity to withdraw the claims during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026, Matthew neither retracted the allegations nor apologised.
According to Gbajabiamila, the repeated interviews after the cease-and-desist letter showed a deliberate attempt to sustain what he described as a campaign of false allegations against him.
He said the publications generated public discussions and several enquiries from friends, associates and professional colleagues within and outside Nigeria, thereby aggravating the damage to his reputation.
The filings further disclosed that Matthew was already facing criminal prosecution before the Federal High Court, Abuja, when he made the allegations.
According to the suit, Matthew is standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Others, over allegations bordering on forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.
Gbajabiamila’s legal team said the alleged forged documents formed the basis of Matthew’s public claims.
In his witness statement, Gbajabiamila described himself as a legal practitioner, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and public officer who had built his reputation over several decades on integrity, honesty and fidelity to duty.
He said while public office holders must expect scrutiny, the allegations made against him went beyond legitimate criticism and amounted to false accusations of corruption, bribery, abuse of office and criminal misconduct presented as established facts.
The Chief of Staff said he deliberately refrained from responding through the media because he believed the courtroom was the proper forum to resolve the dispute.
He added that the suit was instituted not only to vindicate his personal reputation, but also to protect the integrity and dignity of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President from what he described as false and reckless allegations.
The FCT High Court has directed Matthew, whose address was listed as unknown but who is deemed to be within the court’s jurisdiction, to enter appearance within 14 days after being served with the originating processes.
The court warned that judgment may be entered against him in default if he fails to respond within the stipulated time.
Gbajabiamila is urging the court to grant all the reliefs sought.
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