Elected members of the local government council for the Benue state held a peaceful protest on Thursday against what they claimed was Governor Hyacinth Alia’s illegal removal of them from office.
recalls that, on the recommendation of the Benue State House of Assembly, the 23 local government chairmen and their councilors were removed from their positions in June.
The suspended vice chairman of the Makurdi Local Government Area, Mr. Frank Mbashinya, was in charge of the protesting local government officials who promised not to accept their suspension.
They were protesting their ‘illegal’ suspension as well as the government’s disobedience to the simultaneous judgments of the National Industrial Court and the High Court ordering their return.
The elected representatives urged that the governor immediately follow the numerous court rulings in order to reinstate them and restore their salaries and benefits.
When the state commissioner of police got involved and broke up the protest, he pledged to let the governor know about their complaints.
A councilor who took part in the protest was said to have perished in an accident while returning to Gboko.