A U.S. court has blocked Donald Trump and his government-cutting czar Elon Musk from shutting down the United States African Development Foundation after the agency’s CEO and President Ward Brehm argued spending almost $60 million to prevent people from joining Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Mr Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency had tried dismantling USADF, an independent government agency tasked with investing in grassroots organisations, entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized enterprises in African countries, prompting the foundation to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

In the lawsuit, USADF claimed DOGE violated the African Development Foundation Act for trying to end an independent government agency that was created through Congress while also accusing DOGE and State Department official Peter Marocco of trying to forcibly gain access into the agency’s system under “false pretence”.

Ruling on the matter on Thursday, Judge Richard Leon issued a stay that bars the administration from removing Mr Brehm until a formal hearing early next week after he told the court that USADF had invested $59 million in northern Nigeria, supporting food security and employment in regions vulnerable to Boko Haram.

Mr Brehm argued that USADF’s investment in northern Nigeria created an alternative to extremism. 

He also testified on the agency’s multiple commitments in other African countries, including investments and job creation in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin Republic, Somalia and more.

Politico reported that the initial attempt to take over the USADF came on Wednesday after Mr Marocco and one DOGE official visited the agency, ignoring Mr Brehm’s notice that he was out of the office and would not allow his staff to meet with visiting officials without him but were unsuccessful. 

Despite that, Mr Marocco and other officials went to the USADF building on Thursday, attempting to gain access to the building for a second time.