Court Fixes November Dates For Gbajabiamila’s ₦15bn Defamation Suit

FCT High Court Schedules Three-Day Trial Over Alleged 48% Kickback Claim

By Henryrich Ojo | Newsworld

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has fixed November 9, 10 and 13, 2026, for the trial of a ₦15 billion defamation suit filed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew. Justice Samira Bature fixed the dates on Thursday after a disagreement between lawyers over the defendant’s request for more time to file his defence in the case.

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At the resumed proceedings in suit number FCT/HC/CV/3179/2026, defence counsel M.P. Usman told the court that he had filed a memorandum of appearance on October 14 and sought additional time to prepare his client’s defence. However, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) and Olukayode Enitan (SAN), opposed the request, arguing that the defendant had been served with the court processes since July 30, 2026, and that the time allowed for his response had expired. They urged the court to set definite trial dates to prevent further delays. Neither Gbajabiamila nor Matthew was personally present in court.

The suit arose from allegations by Matthew that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a ₦27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency. Gbajabiamila has denied the allegation, insisting that he neither met nor communicated with Matthew nor authorised anyone to act on his behalf in the matter.

He is seeking ₦10 billion in general damages, ₦5 billion in aggravated damages and ₦200 million in legal costs. He is also asking the court to compel Matthew to retract the alleged defamatory statements and publish an apology in five national newspapers, as well as on the online platforms where the statements appeared, for 30 days. The allegations remain subject to determination by the court.