The Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the planned removal of the current Board of Trustees (BoT) of the IBB International Golf and Country Club.
It will be noted that the club has been enmeshed in a leadership dispute that led to the club’s closure by the Department of State Services (DSS) recently.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, ruling on an ex-parte motion moved by the plaintiff’s counsel, C.O. Ogbodo, ordered all parties to maintain the status quo until the substantive suit is heard and determined.
The case has been adjourned to April 3 for a hearing on the motion on notice.
The Incorporated Trustees of IBB International Golf and Country Club, the plaintiff in the case (FHC/ABJ/CS/483/2025), sued the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as the 1st defendant. Other defendants include Ibrahim Babayo (Club Captain), Aliyu Folaniyan (Honourary Secretary) and Chief J.K. Gadzama, SAN (Representing J.K. Gadzama & Associates LLP).
In an application filed on March 13, the plaintiff sought an interim order to prevent Babayo and Folaniyan from convening an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to elect a new BoT. The plaintiff also requested an order compelling all parties to maintain the status quo.
Retired General IBM Haruna, Chairman of the BoT, deposed in an affidavit that the club’s constitution entrusts the BoT with policy control and oversight, while the executive committee manages daily operations.
However, Haruna alleged that Babayo, Folaniyan, and Gadzama secretly amended the club’s constitution without the trustees’ consent. They then registered the altered document with the CAC. Upon discovering this, the plaintiff petitioned the CAC, requesting an investigation and a caveat to prevent further unauthorized actions.
Despite this, the CAC allegedly went ahead and registered a “strange document” as the club’s amended constitution, without a resolution from the members or BoT approval.
Haruna further claimed that Babayo and Folaniyan planned to use the altered constitution to organize an EGM on March 15 to illegally remove the current trustees and appoint new ones. He insisted that the EGM notice, requisition letter, and list of new trustee nominees were unauthorized.
He warned that if the EGM proceeded, the trustees would be unlawfully removed, and any subsequent court ruling would be rendered ineffective.
During the hearing, Justice Ekwo questioned the plaintiff’s counsel about the urgency of the matter. After reviewing the affidavit, the court granted the ex-parte motion and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo. The case will be heard on April 3.
