Court Suspends Musa, Gar as ADSI Trustees, Nullifies Actions
A Federal High Court in Abuja has suspended Khurairah Musa and Celina Gar as trustees of the Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI), bringing a major development to a prolonged leadership dispute within the organisation.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the court also nullified actions taken by the two defendants on behalf of ADSI between March 1 and April 30, 2024.
The case arose from a dispute over the leadership of the organisation, following allegations that some registered trustees were removed and changes were made to ADSI’s records at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, without the required approval of the association’s governing bodies.
The court found that six bona fide members of the Board of Trustees had been removed without a meeting of the General Assembly. The affected trustees were identified as Abdullahi Zainab, Umar Hauwa, Tasha Roseline, Hayatudeen Hafsali, Mohammed Zainab and Adam Safaa Musa Usman.
According to the judgment, the changes were allegedly effected without a properly convened meeting of the Trustees or General Assembly authorising them.
The court also noted that the association’s bank account with Jaiz Bank was placed on hold, while the position of Secretary was changed to the second defendant, Celina Gar, on June 14, 2024.
Gar, while testifying in the case, maintained that the six trustees were removed following a unanimous decision reached during a WhatsApp meeting. She reportedly told the court that the affected members had been inactive for about three years.
The court, however, held that regardless of the alleged inactivity of the trustees, any decision to remove them had to comply with the provisions of ADSI’s Constitution.
Justice Abdulmalik referred to Article 6 of the Constitution, which provides for an Annual General Meeting, Emergency Meeting, Executive Meeting and Trustees Meeting for the administration of the organisation. The provision requires two-thirds of the relevant members to be present.
Reacting to the judgment, a registered trustee of ADSI, Safaa Musa Usman Adam, described the decision as a restoration of constitutional order within the organisation.
He called on members to respect the judgment, end the divisions that have affected the initiative and redirect their attention to its original mission of supporting communities across Northern Nigeria.
“The objective of ADSI is to empower women and youths and drive community development across the 19 northern states of the country and the FCT,” Usman Adam said.
For members and beneficiaries of the organisation, the dispute goes beyond changes in titles and positions. At its heart is the question of how an initiative established to support women, young people and communities can return its focus to the people it was created to serve.
The judgment now places renewed emphasis on adherence to the organisation’s Constitution and due process in the management of its affairs.
