The state government said its decision to revoke the licenses was informed by the refusal of liquor dealers to adhere to the guidelines spelt out by the government.

The Niger State Liquor licensing Board, the body charged with the responsibility of regulating the sale and consumption of alcohol announced this in a statement signed by its chairman Malam Muhammad Shafii.

In the statement, a copy which was made available on Monday, Malam Muhammad Shafii said liquor vendors caught contravening the order would not only be arrested but prosecuted.

It could be recalled that the state government in 2000 introduced the Sharia legal system in the state under which sale and consumption of alcohol and related beverages was restricted to areas of major town and cities in the state, and must be eight kilometers from the town.