There was palpable fear and tension in the premises of the Kogi State House of Assembly as members loyal to the Momoh Jimoh Lawal faction forced their way into the assembly and sat for the first time since February.

Thirteen of the members stormed the premises of the assembly at about 10:00 a.m. in line with the order of a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, which declared the purported impeachment of Lawal and other leaders of the house null and void.

However, tension rose before the members got to the house as members of staff and others within the premises were ordered to leave and the main entrance of the assembly complex locked up.

A detachment of police were thereafter drafted on the main gate, while another detachment and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were placed on the makn road in front of the state High Court.

But when the members arrived at the premises, the gate was forcefully opened with men of the police on ground helpless and the members went stright into the chambers to hold their plenary session.

After the adoption of the votes and proceedings of the last sitting, the speaker welcomed the members to the plenary and commended the gallantry and selfless sacrifice of the members, who in the face of challenges stood against injustice and anti democratic tendencies.

He said: "Today, our struggle for the entrenchment of democracy in Kogi State has paid off with the judicial pronouncements made on Thursday,  May 19 2012. We commend the judiciary for standing by and for the truth.

"We are at the threshold of our political evolvement as a nation, I therefore call on every one of us to be more vigilant as enemies of democracy would not relent in their efforts to short circuit the democratic processes".

However, as the members were sitting in the chambers some policemen entered the premises of the complex and started shooting into the air, the development made the members to adjourn sitting abruptly.

The members were later accosted by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Yakubu Usman, the State Director of Department of State Security (DSS), and the State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Obiyo Everestus, who led their men into the complex.

The people said they were in the assembly following information that thugs accompanied the lawmakers into the complex, an allegation that the members denied.

Addressing newsmen after the sitting, Usman said they were not in the assembly to disallow the lawmakers from sitting but to tackle suspected hoodlums who were alleged to have planned to destroy government's properties.

Four people were later apprehended by the police at the main entrance of the complex but the lawmakers claimed that the people were their aides and not thugs as alleged by the police.

Lawal, however, told newsmen after the sitting that his groupd had been following path of civility since the commencement of the crisis, saying they had no cause invade the house with any political thug.

The speaker said he believed that members of the G5 being led by Umar Imam would join them at the next sitting and deliberate on how to move the state forward.