The 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 approved for a federal agency.
In the suit, Gbajabiamila is seeking ₦10 billion in general damages, ₦5 billion in aggravated damages, ₦200 million as the cost of the action, and an order compelling the defendant to publish a retraction and apology in five national newspapers as well as on all social media platforms where the alleged defamatory statements were circulated.
According to court documents, the Chief of Staff denied ever meeting or communicating with Adeyemi or authorising anyone to solicit or receive money on his behalf. Through his legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) **Kemi Pinheiro**, Gbajabiamila described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
The legal team, which also includes Senior Advocates Folu Oguntade, Olukayode Enitan and Chukwudi Enebeli, filed the action after Adeyemi alleged during a press conference that the Chief of Staff demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s ₦27.3 billion take-off grant. Adeyemi further claimed that ₦400 million was paid through a proxy and that an additional ₦200 million was requested to facilitate presidential approvals.
In his statement on oath, Gbajabiamila denied demanding or receiving any money, abusing his office, or interfering with any law enforcement agency. He also rejected allegations linking him to the death of **Babatunde Tanimola**, whom Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary, as well as claims that he was connected to an alleged assassination attempt on the defendant or interference with security investigations.
The court documents state that Gbajabiamila’s solicitors issued a cease-and-desist letter on **July 6, 2026**, demanding an immediate retraction and apology, which was subsequently published in national newspapers the following day. However, the suit alleges that instead of retracting the claims, Adeyemi repeated them in subsequent media appearances, including an interview with social media personality **VeryDarkMan** and another on **Politics Today** on Channels Television on **July 13, 2026**.
According to the claimant, Adeyemi admitted during one of the interviews that he had never met Gbajabiamila personally and had not independently verified the identity of the person he believed to be the Chief of Staff, relying solely on communications allegedly conducted through the late Tanimola. Despite that admission, the suit contends that Adeyemi continued to publicly repeat the allegations, causing further damage to Gbajabiamila’s reputation.
The court filings also disclose that Adeyemi is currently facing a separate criminal trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations involving forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters. Those allegations remain before the court.
Gbajabiamila maintained that the accusations have severely damaged his personal and professional reputation by portraying him as corrupt and abusive of public office. He told the court that he opted to seek judicial redress rather than engage in a public media dispute, stating that the action is intended to protect both his reputation and the integrity of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
The FCT High Court has directed the defendant to enter an appearance within **14 days** of being served with the originating court processes, failing which judgment may be entered against him in default.