The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threatened to file a N10 billion defamation lawsuit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew over allegations of murder, bribery, and abuse of office. The threat comes in the wake of a deepening scandal surrounding a purported "ghost agency" that the Presidency has disowned.
In a cease-and-desist letter dated July 6, 2026, Gbajabiamila's solicitors, Pinheiro LP, gave Adeyemi 72 hours to retract the allegations and issue a public apology or face both civil and criminal proceedings . The letter, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi Pinheiro, described the allegations as "false, malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation" .
The dispute stems from a June 25 press conference during which Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48 per cent of the council's alleged N27.4 billion take-off grant, receiving N400 million through proxies in connection with appointments, abusing his office, and participating in a criminal cover-up . Adeyemi also publicly described the Chief of Staff as "a murderer" and "an assassin" .
Gbajabiamila's legal team rejected the claims, arguing that the Chief of Staff had never met or had any dealings with Adeyemi. "You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him," the lawyers wrote. "The decision to fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication" .
The controversy has its roots in the PFIPC, an agency the Presidency has described as fictitious and non-existent . Yet the council allegedly received a total allocation of N1.3 billion in the 2026 budget, including N802,978,783 for personnel, N200,000,001 for overhead, and N300,000,000 for capital . The Presidency has insisted that the PFIPC was never created by the Federal Government and that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter and other official documents .
Documents reviewed by investigative journalists revealed that at least 12 government agencies and offices allegedly processed documents or had dealings with the purported council before the Federal Government publicly distanced itself from the body . These include the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Budget Office, the Office of the Accountant-General, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the EFCC, and the State Security Service .
Further investigations showed that the PFIPC allegedly obtained a government website domain, secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, and even had CBN accounts opened in its name. The directional signage bearing the PFIPC name reportedly remained mounted at the Federal Secretariat even after the Presidency disowned the agency . The Office of the Accountant-General later clarified that while account-opening processes may have been initiated based on presented documents, no operational accounts were opened and no government funds were released to the purported agency .
Adeyemi is currently facing criminal prosecution before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges including forgery, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretences. He is scheduled to appear on July 27, 2026 . Gbajabiamila and 10 others have been listed as prosecution witnesses in the case .
Gbajabiamila's solicitors demanded that Adeyemi cease making further defamatory statements, remove all related materials from every platform, and publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media accounts used to disseminate the allegations . A written undertaking to refrain from further publications was also demanded .
The lawyers warned that failure to comply within the 72-hour window would lead to a criminal complaint for defamation under FCT laws and a civil suit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages, which would be paid to a charity of Gbajabiamila's choosing . A perpetual injunction and a mandatory court order compelling a public apology would also be sought .
Meanwhile, the controversy has sparked growing calls for an independent investigation. The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has urged the immediate suspension of the Chief of Staff pending the outcome of a probe . Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has also called for an impartial inquiry into the roles of both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi .
The Presidency has directed security and anti-graft agencies to identify, arrest, and prosecute government officials who may have collaborated with Adeyemi to run the "phantom" council . Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, urged investigators to go beyond Adeyemi and expose the internal network that enabled him to operate . "The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted," Ajayi stated .
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal argued that the responsibility to flag the fake agency rested with the SGF's office, suggesting that dereliction of duty may have occurred . The controversy has raised serious questions about verification procedures within government institutions and how a body the Presidency insists never existed could obtain recognition across official channels .
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