The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi in the High Court of the government capital territory in Abuja, alleging that he wanted a 48% kickback from a N27.3 billion takeoff grant granted for a government agency.
Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 billion in general damages, N5 billion in aggravated damages, N200 million in litigation costs, and an order requiring Adeyemi to publish a complete retraction and apology in five national publications.
He further asks the court to order the defendant to post an apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the claimed defamatory words were published for 30 days.
The complaint was brought by Gbajabiamila’s legal team from Pinheiro LP, lead by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), along with Folu Oguntade (SAN), Olukayode Enitan (SAN), and Chukwudi Enebeli (SAN), who described the claims as false, malicious, and defamatory.
According to the statement of claim, Adeyemi said at a news conference that the issue began after Gbajabiamila allegedly wanted a 48% return from the agency’s N27.3 billion take-off award.
Adeyemi reportedly stated that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy allegedly acting for the chief of staff, with an additional N200 million needed to gain presidential permissions.
However, Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or speaking with Adeyemi, nor did he authorize anyone to act on his behalf.
“The claimant has never met the defendant, never held any meeting with him, and has never authorized any intermediary, representative, agent, or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf,” the court filing stated.
The suit also mentioned Adeyemi’s allegations about the killing of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he said served as a conduit between him and the Chief of Staff.
Adeyemi said Tanimola perished in a hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, one day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
He also claimed that he survived an assassination attempt on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025 and that a “directive from above” instructed the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to abandon efforts to recover his stolen mobile phones, which he claimed contained critical evidence.
Court documents show that Gbajabiamila’s attorneys submitted a cease-and-desist letter on July 6, 2026, which was published in THISDAY and other national newspapers on July 7, requesting an immediate retraction and apology.
Rather than withdrawing the allegations, the claimant said that Adeyemi gave an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan in which he admitted to contradicting his prior assertions.
According to Gbajabiamila’s sworn testimony, Adeyemi stated during the interview that he had never met the Chief of Staff in person, had never held a video conversation with him, and had no independent methods of validating the identification of the person he believed to be Gbajabiamila.
According to the claimant, Adeyemi stated that all conversations were done through the late Tanimola.
Gbajabiamila also informed the court that Adeyemi claimed that he couldn’t say the chief of staff was lying or confirm that he was telling the truth and that he planned to submit his paperwork to law enforcement agencies for verification.
Despite these admissions, Gbajabiamila claimed that Adeyemi repeated the charges during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026.
The court records further revealed that Adeyemi was already on trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja under Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Others, about charges of falsified presidential documents and appointment letters.
According to the claimant, Adeyemi’s public charges against him were based on those materials.
The FCT High Court has ordered Adeyemi, whose address was given as unknown but who is believed to be within the court’s jurisdiction, to appear within 14 days of being served with the originating procedures, failing which judgment may be issued against him in default.
In his witness statement, Gbajabiamila stated that he had never met Matthew and had no personal, official, or professional dealings with him.
He denied seeking a kickback, obtaining N400 million through a proxy, requesting an extra N200 million, misusing his position, manipulating security agencies, threatening media outlets, or interfering with the defendant’s investigations.
He further denied directing the Nigerian Police Force, DSS, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, or any other law enforcement agency to harass or probe Adeyemi.
The Chief of Staff denied knowing of the circumstances surrounding the death of Tanimola or the alleged attempts on Adeyemi’s life.
Gbajabiamila informed the court that he had built his reputation over decades of public service on integrity, honesty, and fidelity to duty, stressing that while public officials should expect scrutiny, the allegations against him amounted to false accusations of corruption, bribery, abuse of office, and other criminal conduct.
He stated that the repeated publication of the allegations generated widespread public discussion and prompted inquiries from friends, associates, and professional colleagues within and outside Nigeria, causing significant damage to his reputation.
Gbajabiamila also stated that he avoided engaging in a media war because he considered the court the appropriate forum to handle the disagreement.
He stated that the action was taken not only to defend his own reputation but also to maintain the integrity and dignity of the President’s Chief of Staff Office.
The claimant encouraged the court to grant all of the reliefs sought, expressing confidence that the evidence would support the orders requested.
Adeyemi was arrested on Tuesday by a special unit from the Inspector General of Police’s office in Osun State.
