A Federal High Court in Abuja has suspended Khurairah Musa and Celina Gar as trustees of the Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI) for unlawfully removing six other trustees of the group. The court, in a judgment delivered on September 30, 2026, also nullified all actions taken by the duo between March 1 and April 30, 2024, for being illegal. This decision was made in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1572/2024, which was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of ADSI.
The plaintiff had accused Musa and Gar of removing six trustees of the ADSI without recourse to the constitution of the association. They also alleged that the defendants fraudulently carried out certain alterations on the plaintiff's documents at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) between March and April 2024. These alterations were done without a meeting of the trustees and the General Assembly authorising such action.
The plaintiff sought a declaration that Musa and Gar cannot unilaterally remove the registered trustees of the ADSI in direct violation of its registered constitution. They also prayed for an order suspending Musa and Gar as Trustees of the Arewa Development Support Initiative. The court agreed with the plaintiff that the defendants violated the association's constitution by unilaterally removing six trustees of the ADSI.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her judgment, held that the constitution of ADSI ought to be sacrosanct to those it applies to and that any breach shall be considered fundamental. She stated that where a statute provides ways of doing an act, it is only that way that must be followed and not any other way. The judge also noted that the plaintiff's WhatsApp platform was not the constitutionally prescribed place to conduct the affairs of the plaintiff.
The court consequently declared that Musa and Gar cannot unilaterally remove the registered trustees of the ADSI in direct violation of its registered constitution. The court also suspended Musa and Gar as trustees of the Arewa Development Support Initiative and nullified all actions taken by them between March 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024.
A statement by Safaa Musa Usman Adam, a member of the Registered Trustee of ADSI, disclosed that Khurairah Musa unilaterally orchestrated the removal of active members of the Registered Trustees of ADSI. The statement corroborated the court's findings that Musa and Gar acted unlawfully in removing the six trustees.
The suspension of Musa and Gar as trustees of ADSI is a significant development in the internal crisis of the group. The court's decision is expected to have implications for the group's operations and governance. The Incorporated Trustees of ADSI had taken the case to court to challenge the actions of Musa and Gar, which they considered to be unlawful and a breach of the group's constitution.
Key points
- The Federal High Court in Abuja has suspended Khurairah Musa and Celina Gar as trustees of the Arewa Development Support Initiative.
- The court nullified all actions taken by Musa and Gar between March 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024, for being illegal.
- The court's decision was made in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1572/2024, which was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of ADSI.
