Tinubu's Aide Gbajabiamila Battles Defamation Allegations as Prince Adeyemi Faces Cybercrime Probe

A dramatic turn of events has unfolded in the ongoing saga between President Bola Tinubu's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who had publicly accused Gbajabiamila of demanding a hefty bribe. According to reliable sources within the Nigeria Police Force, Prince Adeyemi has been relocated from the Intelligence Response Team's detention facility to the National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja. This development comes on the heels of Gbajabiamila instituting a ₦15 billion defamation lawsuit against Adeyemi at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The lawsuit stems from Adeyemi's allegations that Gbajabiamila had requested a 48 percent kickback from a ₦27.3 billion take-off grant meant for a federal agency. Gbajabiamila has vehemently denied these claims, describing them as false, malicious, and defamatory. Through his legal representatives, the Chief of Staff is seeking ₦10 billion in general damages, ₦5 billion in aggravated damages, and ₦200 million to cover the costs of the legal action. Furthermore, Gbajabiamila is demanding that Adeyemi publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers and post it on all his social media platforms for a period of 30 days. Court documents reveal that Adeyemi had alleged paying ₦400 million to an intermediary on behalf of Gbajabiamila, with an additional ₦200 million requested to secure presidential approvals. However, Adeyemi later admitted in an interview that he had never met Gbajabiamila personally and that all communications were facilitated through the late Babatunde Tanimola. Despite these admissions, Adeyemi repeated the allegations during a television appearance, prompting Gbajabiamila to take legal action. It is also noteworthy that Adeyemi is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over charges of forgery, impersonation, and operating a non-existent government agency, known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The agency, which does not exist according to the Presidency, had secured a ₦1.3 billion budget allocation and office space within the Federal Secretariat. The police have not provided reasons for Adeyemi's transfer to the cybercrime centre, and an official statement regarding his arrest and detention is yet to be issued.