The Attorney General’s Department (A-G) has formally taken over the narcotics case involving ten officers of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), some Police and BNI officers and a local Football Club owner. Chief State Attorney Rexford Anthony Wiredu informed the Accra Circuit Court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffuor that the docket on the case has just been handed over to him to take charge from the Police Prosecutor ASP A. Derry. Mr. Rexford Wiredu also informed the court that the A-G has been served with a copy of bail application from the defense lawyers but it reached the Attorney General’s Department late Thursday and without affidavits of accused persons. He made the submission Friday when the case was called for hearing of bail applications for the suspects. Mr. Wiredu urged the court to adjourn the case to allow the prosecution some ample time to study both the docket and the bail application. This did not go down well with the about 12 defense lawyers who maintained that the affidavits were not attached because they were denied access to the accused. “We are denied access to our clients as if we are rebels going to free them forcibly; they seize everything on us including mobile phones even if we want go to the BNI premises” they maintained. The defense lawyers also raised concerns over prosecution’s suggestion that the suspects be sent to Prison Custody instead of Police cells since they argued, their clients are mere suspects and not convicts to be kept in prison custody. After listening to heated arguments between defense lawyers and the prosecution, Justice Eric Kyei Baffuor ruled that the suspects Fatimatu Abdulai, Denis Adutwum, Yakubu Issaka, Timothy Abolompo, Abubakar Nallah (aka Alhaji Sudonko), Peter Ansong, Mutawu Kilu Yahaya Iddi, Jerry John Abbiw, Nana Zamsah Evrah and Eric Darko Akuffo be sent to Nsawan Prison custody but called for extra security for them in order to ensure their safety. They are alleged to have aided drug dealers in their trade in Ghana and other countries and have all pleaded not guilty to two counts of abetment of importation and abetment of exportation of narcotic drugs. The Judge said since the A-G was short served, he was adjourning the case to 5th October, 2011 to grant prosecution ample time to study the case. Security was very tight and enhanced during today’s proceedings in order to forestall the situation of last week where heavily built men believed to be mainly relatives and sympathizers of Alhaji Sudonko besieged the court and made things difficult for the few police officers present.