NACOB, court in tango over bail for alleged drug baron, accomplice

The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the Accra High Court are on a collision course over bail terms granted to a Nigerian drug baron described by the security agencies as a kingpin in the narcotic drug business in West Africa.

The baron, Chief Sunny Ekechukwu Benjy Eke, who had been on remand at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons since 2013 for attempting to smuggle 281,604 grammes of liquid cocaine with a street value of more than $12.5 million into the country, was granted bail by the Accra High Court ast Thursday.

The court presided over by Mr Justice J. K. Dorgu, granted Chief Eke and his accomplice, James Elike Chukwu, bail in the sum of GH¢200,000, with three sureties each.

The bail terms were that all the sureties should be Ghanaians who are gainfully employed and whose places of abode should be known to the police.

International drug agencies

The bail terms have angered top officials of NACOB, as its Executive Secretary, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, has described the terms as very unfortunate because Chief Eke is known to have jumped bail in Brazil and all the international drug agencies were hard on his tail but could not arrest him until he was arrested in Ghana.