BNI Operatives Storm Court Precincts But Defiant Judge Won�t Budge

The refusal of a defiant judge to allow suspects in a drug case to be re-arrested after being bailed by the court, has led to a standoff with security operatives said to be officials of the Bureau of National Investigations. The BNI officials swarmed the precincts of the Osu District Magistrate Court in an attempt to re-arrest the four suspects who remain holed up in the courtroom but the trial judge is dead set against that move. PeaceFM�s Yaw Obeng Manu who is at the scene reports that the court had earlier granted bail conditions including a GHS10,000 each and the seizure of the suspects� passports about a week ago. But after the suspects met the bail conditions, the security officials refused to administer the bail, a situation that did not go down well with the trial judge, resulting in the tense stand-off. According to him, so angry was the trial judge, Justice Ellen Anokye, at the conduct of the BNI operatives that she at one point, ordered the arrest of a driver of the BNI for unruly behaviour. A reinforcement of well-armed police personnel led by the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander Rose Atinga Bio were sent in to calm matters. It is unclear why the security officers want to re-arrest the suspects, but the impasse has drawn large crowds to the court precincts. More soon...