Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, over allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.
In the suit, Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 billion in general damages, N5 billion in aggravated damages and N200 million as the cost of the suit.
He also wants the court to order Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers and pin the apology on all social media platforms where the allegations appeared for 30 days.
According to court filings, Adeyemi alleged at a news conference that the Chief of Staff demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s funding.
He further claimed that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy acting for Gbajabiamila and that another N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila, through his legal team led by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
“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 documents stated.
The suit also addresses Adeyemi’s claims linking the allegations to the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary.
Adeyemi alleged Tanimola died in a hotel fire in Abuja in October 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila petitioned the police, and further claimed he survived an assassination attempt in September 2025.
Gbajabiamila denied any knowledge of Tanimola’s death or the alleged attack.
Court documents show the Chief of Staff’s lawyers issued a cease-and-desist letter on July 6, 2026, demanding a retraction and apology.
Instead, they said Adeyemi later admitted in an interview that he had never met Gbajabiamila in person or verified the identity of the person he believed he was communicating with, acknowledging that all communications were through the late Tanimola.
Despite that admission, the suit alleges Adeyemi repeated the claims during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026.
The filing further states that Adeyemi is facing a separate criminal trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over allegations involving forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters, which Gbajabiamila said formed the basis of the allegations against him.
The Chief of Staff denied demanding any kickback, receiving money through a proxy, influencing security agencies or interfering in investigations involving Adeyemi.
He also denied directing the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) or any other agency to harass the defendant.
Gbajabiamila told the court the allegations had damaged his reputation and prompted enquiries from colleagues, associates and friends within and outside Nigeria.
He said he opted to seek legal redress rather than engage in a public media dispute and urged the court to grant the reliefs sought.
The FCT High Court has directed Adeyemi to enter an appearance within 14 days of being served with the court processes or risk judgment being entered against him.
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