A Minna high court has asked Niger state government to put on hold the planned dissolution of the 25 local governments in the state.

The court presided over by Justice Aliyu Maiyaki handed down the decision while ruling on a motion exparte filed by Mr Gambo Tanko Kagara on behalf of 24 other local government chairmen.

Joined in the suit as respondents were the state governor Mr Abubakar Sani Bello, the House of assembly as well as the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

The plaintiffs through their counsel, C. O Ogbu of J.S Okutekpa chambers had asked the court to restrain the respondents individually and collectively from taking any action on the matter until the determination of the motion on notice

The state house of assembly had on Tuesday last week, after adopting the report of its committee on local government and chieftaincy affairs, directed the governor, Mr Sani Bello to dissolve all the Local governments because they had violated the law under which they were elected.

Not happy with the decision the chairmen approached the court to seek for an order restraining the government from acting on the resolution of the house.

Mr Maiyaki in granting the prayer of the petitioners adjourned the case to ‪the 16th of March 2018‬ for hearing of the substantive suit.

It would be recalled that last Wednesday, elected councillors and Civil Society Groups in the state protested the planned dissolution of the local governments.

While the councillors met at the Abdulsalami Abubakar Youth Centre from where they planned to march to the assembly complex the police got wind of the arrangement and aborted the protest by throwing teargas at councillors.

One of the councillors was injured when he tried to scale the fence to safety and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Disturbed by the negative reaction to the decision of the Assembly, the government had hurriedly issued a statement saying it had not dissolved the local governments.

In the three paragraphs statement titled: "NIGER STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS  HAVE NOT BEEN DISSOLVED YET" signed by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Jibrin Ndace said: "This is to inform the general public that Niger State Local Government Councils have not been dissolved yet.

"As a matter of fact, the governor is awaiting the official transmission of the resolution of the Niger State House of Assembly for necessary action.

"In view of this, citizens are advised to be calm and go about their normal business".