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The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja.
He sued over allegations that he solicited a bribe of 48 per cent of the N27.3 billion grant approved for a federal agency, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the presidency said did not exist.
In his lawsuit, Gbajabiamila is demanding N10 billion as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages and N200 million as costs of action.
He also prayed for an order forcing Matthew to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
The plaintiff asked the court to direct the defendant to post an 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 (SAN), together with Folu Oguntade (SAN), Olukayode Enitan (SAN) and Chukwudi Enebeli (SAN), described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
According to the statement of claim, Matthew alleged at a press conference that Gbajabiamila demanded a return of 48 per cent of the N27.3 billion take-off grant awarded by the agency.
He stated that N400 million had been paid by proxy in the name of the Chief of Staff and an additional N200 million was needed to obtain presidential approval.
Matthew also alleged that an intermediary, Mr Babatunde Tanimola, who allegedly connected him to the Chief of Staff, died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
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He claimed that he escaped an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025 and alleged that “orders from above” instructed the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police to halt efforts to recover his stolen mobile phone, which he said contained crucial evidence.
Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Matthew or authorizing anyone to act on his behalf.
”The plaintiff has never met the defendant, has never had any meetings with him, and has never authorized any intermediary, representative, agent or proxy to request or receive money on his behalf,” read the court documents.
According to court documents, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers published a cease and desist notice in several national newspapers on July 7, 2026.
Instead of retracting the accusation, Matthew actually gave an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan.
In his sworn witness statement, Gbajabiamila said Matthew admitted that when interviewed he had never met him in person, had never made a video call or any form of verification to confirm the identity of the person he believed to be the Chief of Staff, and that all communications were made through the late Tanimola.
He said Matthew also admitted that he could not say Gbajabiamila was lying or confirm that he was telling the truth and intended to submit his documents to the police for verification.
Gbajabiamila’s legal team alleged that, despite this admission, Matthew repeated the allegations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026.
The FCT High Court has directed Matthew, whose address is unknown but is deemed to be within the court’s jurisdiction, to appear within 14 days of serving the initial process, and failing which, judgment may be entered against him for default.
