The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a ₦15 billion defamation lawsuit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over allegations that he demanded a 48 percent kickback from a ₦27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.
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In the suit, Gbajabiamila is seeking ₦10 billion in general damages, ₦5 billion in aggravated damages, ₦200 million as the cost of the legal action, and a court 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.
The legal action was filed by Gbajabiamila’s legal team from Pinheiro LP, led by Kemi Pinheiro, alongside Folu Oguntade, Olukayode Enitan, and Chukwudi Enebeli, who described the allegations as false, malicious, and defamatory.
According to the statement of claim, Matthew had alleged during a press conference that a dispute arose after the Chief of Staff purportedly demanded a 48 percent kickback from the agency’s ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.
He also claimed that ₦400 million had already been paid through a proxy allegedly acting for Gbajabiamila, with an additional ₦200 million demanded to secure presidential approvals.
However, Gbajabiamila has denied the claims, stating that he has never met or communicated with Matthew and has never authorized anyone to act on his behalf.
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