Connect with us

News

Gbajabiamila Sues ‘Fake’ Agency DG Adeyemi, Demands N15bn over Defamation

Published

on

 

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

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

In the suit, Gbajabiamila is seeking N10 bn in general damages, N5bn in aggravated damages, N200m as the cost of the action, and an 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 suit was filed by Gbajabiamila’s legal team from Pinheiro LP, led by Kemi Pinheiro, with 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 Gbajabiamila purportedly demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s N27.3 bn take-off grant.

He also claimed that N400m had already been paid through a proxy allegedly acting for the Chief of Staff, while an additional N200m was required to secure presidential approvals.

However, Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Matthew or authorising anyone to act on his behalf.

“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 referenced Adeyemi’s allegations concerning the death of one Babatunde Tanimola, whom he claimed acted as an intermediary between himself and the Chief of Staff.

Advert

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

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

Court documents revealed that Gbajabiamila’s solicitors issued a cease-and-desist letter dated July 6, 2026, which was published in THISDAY and other national newspapers on July 7, demanding an immediate retraction and apology.

Rather than withdraw the allegations, the claimant alleged that Adeyemi granted an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, where he made admissions that contradicted his earlier claims.

According to Gbajabiamila’s witness statement on oath, Adeyemi admitted during the interview that he had never met the Chief of Staff in person, never held a video call with him, and had no independent means of verifying the identity of the individual he believed to be Gbajabiamila.

The claimant said Adeyemi further admitted that all communications were conducted through the late Tanimola.

Gbajabiamila also told the court that Adeyemi stated he could neither say the Chief of Staff was lying nor confirm that he was telling the truth, adding that he intended to submit his documents to law enforcement agencies for verification.

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

The court filings further disclosed that Adeyemi was already standing trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & others, over allegations involving forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.

According to the claimant, those documents formed the basis of Matthew’s public allegations against him.

The FCT High Court 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.

In his witness statement, Gbajabiamila maintained that he had never met Matthew or had any personal, official or professional dealings with him.

He denied demanding any kickback, receiving N400m through a proxy, requesting an additional N200m, abusing his office, manipulating security agencies, intimidating media organisations or interfering with investigations involving the defendant.

He also denied instructing the Nigeria 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 investigate Matthew.

News

You’re a Hypocrite!” – Bashir el-Rufai Goes Nuclear on Brother Bello Over Uba Sani Loyalty

Published

on

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

 

Bashir el-Rufai, son of former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai, unleashed a barrage of slurs at his brother, Bello, on Saturday morning.

Bashir, in a series of expletive-laden posts on X, attacked Bello over his recent political moves, accusing him of abandoning the family while he was aligned with Uba Sani, his father’s successor.

Sani, the incumbent governor of Kaduna, was a former ally of el-Rufai, but both men fell out after the former won the 2023 governorship election.

Advert

Following el-Rufai’s resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March 2025, Bello, who represents Kaduna north federal constituency, remained in the ruling party.

However, on May 7, 2026, Bello eventually defected from the APC to join his father in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Commenting on Saturday, Bashir alleged that his brother remained loyal to Sani until he realised he was being “dumped”, after which he began talking about family loyalty.

“Stuck with Uba Sani until he realized he is being dumped then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to ADC. Where was he since? Purely serving his interest,” Bashir wrote.

He accused his brother of being neutral while others criticised the Kaduna state governor.

Bashir also alleged that Bello asked him to “pipe down my criticism of his former boss,” presumably Sani.

One of Bashir’s tweets. The expletives have been redacted.
“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” he added, while calling his brother a hypocrite.

Bashir also made several other allegations against his brother in the X posts, some of which were later deleted.

The allegations bordered on fertility status and unsubstantiated drug use.

Their father, el-Rufai, has been in custody since February 2026 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna between 2015 and 2023.

On April 13, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned him at the Kaduna high court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is also prosecuting el-Rufai before the federal high court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.

Continue Reading

News

Court Ultimatum Forces FBI to Hand Over Tinubu’s Fraud Records to Judge—But Keeps Them Hidden from Public

Published

on

 

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has hand delivered records of President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 drug-trafficking and money-laundering case to Judge Howell Beryl of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, saying they are for her eyes only, court filings seen by Peoples Gazette indicated.

The FBI secretly submitted the records on Friday to avoid disobeying a court order while sidelining transparency campaigner, Aaron Greenspan, who petitioned the Bureau for the Nigerian leader’s records in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

Following years of foot-dragging on a FOI petition filed by Mr Greenspan in 2023, the FBI on Friday complied with a court order directing it to release Mr Tinubu’s records. Mr Greenspan worked with Nigerian journalist, David Hundeyin, to file the petition in 2023.

Advert

The records submitted as “under seal, ex parte, in camera declarations were hand delivered to the Court on August 28, 2026 in compliance with this Court’s Minute Order dated August 20, 2026,” filings showed.

Mrs Beryl lost her patience with the FBI after the bureau missed several deadlines , giving excuses on why it could not immediately provide the records.

She issued August 28 as the final ultimatum to the FBI, which prompted the FBI’s decision to comply, showing it “in camera” to the judge alone, without carrying along the petitioner.

Earlier this week , FBI claimed that submitting the records would violate Mr Tinubu’s privacy and argued that FOI was established to screen the operations and records of government institutions, not necessarily private individuals.

For decades, Mr Tinubu has avoided speaking on the drug affair, refusing to clarify controversies surrounding his involvement in a case that saw him forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars to the U.S. government.

Mr Tinubu also sought to block the release of his records, asserting his rivals only sought to use them to discredit him in a Nigerian presidential election. He begged the court to protect his privacy rights.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2023 released documents holding Mr Tinubu’s encounter with American authorities over allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading

News

NFF President Gusau Resigns

Published

on

 

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nigeria Football Federation President, Ibrahim Gusau, has resigned from office, announcing his decision during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the Super Eagles news account on X (@SSE_NGA), Gusau was joined by board members of the Executive Committee in resignation.

The crisis follows the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a first in Nigeria’s history, after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the play-off.

Advert

The Falcons had earlier been knocked out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage by Cameroon. The Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The NFF has separately faced scrutiny over its handling of a ₦17bn Federal Government intervention fund released in 2024, as well as a fact-finding committee report alleging that board members and officials influenced national team invitations for financial gain.

Gusau’s exit comes ahead of the NFF’s elective congress, scheduled for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

Continue Reading

Trending