Nigeria's Chief of Staff sues over bribery claims, seeks N15 billion

Nigeria's Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has initiated a N15 billion defamation lawsuit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew. The suit, filed at the FCT High Court in Abuja, stems from allegations that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48% kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.

Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 billion in general damages and N5 billion in aggravated damages, along with N200 million for the cost of the legal action. He also demands that Matthew publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers and across all social media platforms for 30 days. Gbajabiamila's legal team described the allegations as false, malicious, and defamatory, asserting that the Chief of Staff never met or communicated with Matthew, nor authorized anyone to act on his behalf.

The court documents reveal Matthew's claims that a dispute arose after Gbajabiamila allegedly demanded the substantial kickback. Matthew also alleged that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy, with an additional N200 million required for presidential approvals. The suit further references Matthew's claims about the suspicious death of an intermediary, Mr. Babatunde Tanimola, who allegedly served as the link between Matthew and Gbajabiamila. Tanimola reportedly died in a hotel fire shortly after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police. Matthew also claims he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and that authorities were directed to halt efforts to recover his mobile phones, which he believes contain crucial evidence.