The Chief of Staff to the President, 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 percent 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 the action, and an order directing Matthew to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
He is also asking the court to compel the defendant to pin the apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the alleged defamatory statements were published for 30 days.
Through his legal team from Pinheiro LP, led by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), the Chief of Staff described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
According to the court filings, Matthew alleged during a press conference that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 percent kickback from the agency’s N27.3 billion take-off grant, claiming that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy while an additional N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Matthew or authorising anyone to demand or receive money on his behalf.
The suit also referenced Matthew’s claims that an intermediary, Babatunde Tanimola, died in a suspicious hotel fire in Abuja and that he survived an assassination attempt, allegations the Chief of Staff also denied having any connection with.
According to the claimant, his solicitors issued a cease-and-desist notice on July 6, 2026, which was published in national newspapers the following day, demanding a withdrawal of the allegations and an unconditional apology. However, he alleged that Matthew instead granted further media interviews, including one with social media influencer VeryDarkMan and another on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he repeated the claims.
In his witness statement, Gbajabiamila told the court that Matthew admitted during the VeryDarkMan interview that he had never met him in person, never conducted a video call with him, and relied entirely on communications through the late Babatunde Tanimola.
The Chief of Staff argued that those admissions contradicted Matthew’s earlier allegations and demonstrated that he had publicly accused him of serious criminal conduct without independently verifying the claims.
Court documents further revealed that Matthew is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026 over allegations involving forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.
The FCT High Court has directed Matthew to enter an appearance within 14 days after being served with the court processes, failing which judgment may be entered against him in default.
