PFIPC: Gbaja Slams N15bn Defamation Suit Against Adeyemi

LAGOS — Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, instituted a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi  at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Abuja, over allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency. 

Adeyemi is Director-General of the allegedly non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.

Adeyemi was on Tuesday, arrested by the police in Osun State. His arrest came barely hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a warrant for his arrest.

It will be recalled that  Adeyemi publicly accused Gbajabiamila during a press conference on June 25, 2026, of demanding a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant.

He also alleged that  Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy, and demanded an additional N200 million.

Gbajabiamila had last week given Adeyemi 72 hours to retract the allegation and tender a public apology or face legal action.

In the suit,  filed, yesterday, Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 billion as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages, N200 million as cost of the action, and an order compelling Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.

He is also asking the court to direct 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 Chief of Staff, through his legal team from Pinheiro LP led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN,  described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.

In the statement of claim, Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Adeyemi or authorising anyone to act on his behalf.

Adeyemi’s allegations

According to the court processes, Adeyemi alleged at a press conference that a disagreement arose after Gbajabiamila purportedly demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s N27.3 billion take-off grant.

He further claimed that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy on behalf of the Chief of Staff, while an additional N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.

“The claimant has never met the defendant, never held any meeting with him and has never authorised any intermediary, representative, agent or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf,” the court filing stated.

The suit also referred to Adeyemi’s claims regarding the alleged mysterious death of an intermediary, Mr. Babatunde Tanimola, whom he claimed served as the link between himself and the Chief of Staff.

Adeyemi alleged that Tanimola died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.

He further claimed that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025, and alleged that a “directive from above” instructed the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Police Force to discontinue efforts to recover his stolen mobile phones, which he claimed contained crucial evidence.

According to court documents, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers issued a cease-and-desist notice, which was published in several national newspapers, on July 7, 2026. Rather than retract the allegations, Adeyemi allegedly granted an interview to social media influencer, VeryDarkMan.

In his witness statement on oath, Gbajabiamila contended that Adeyemi made several admissions during the interview that contradicted his earlier allegations.

He said the defendant admitted that he had never met him in person, had never conducted a video call or any other form of verification to confirm the identity of the person he believed to be the Chief of Staff, and that all communications were conducted through the late Tanimola.

According to the deposition, Adeyemi also stated that he could neither say Gbajabiamila was lying nor affirm that he was telling the truth and that he intended to submit his documents to the police for verification.

Gbajabiamila further alleged that despite those admissions, Adeyemi repeated the allegations during an appearance on  Politics Today on Channels Television on July 13, 2026.

The court filings also disclosed that Adeyemi was already facing criminal prosecution before a Federal High Court, Abuja, when he made the allegations.

According to the suit, he is standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Others, over allegations bordering on forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters, which the Chief of Staff’s legal team said formed the basis of Matthew’s public claims.

The High Court of the FCT has directed Adeyemi, whose address was listed as unknown but who is deemed to be within the court’s jurisdiction, to enter an appearance within 14 days after being served with the originating processes, failing which judgment may be entered against him in default.