MONROVIA – Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has termed as “hostile” the high level of provocation and humiliation being meted against him by presidential security guards since his ascendancy to the first branch of the Liberian government in 2019.
It can be recalled that on Sunday, January 31, Sen. Dillon and his security guards were humiliated and assaulted while attempting to enter the stadium via the VIP entrance.
Separate videos of the humiliation and assault went viral on the social media minutes to the commencement of the county meet final match between Lofa and Montserrado Counties.
In the videos, an EPS senior officer, wearing a blue shirt was seen violently hauling the uniform of one of Sen. Dillon’s security guards to leave the VIP entrance for unknown reasons.
He also extended punches and knocked a handset on the head of the victim, who did not retaliate as Sen. Dillon stood peacefully and looked in astonishment.
But speaking when he appeared as guest on 50-50 talk show on Sky FM107.1 on Monday, February 1, Senator Dillon pointed out that he had attempted to enter the VIP to greet some friends and others, and not necessarily to sit and witness the final match.
He stated that he and several others had previously to sit around the field (where spectators with the cheapest tickets normally sit) to witness the game on grounds that he feels happy to sit with those who elected him, instead of acting as a VIP even out of his Capitol Building office.
He pointed out that after disembarking his vehicle, scores of his supporters began chanting his name and demanded to escort him at the VIP entrance even though he had earlier promised to witness the game from the “around the field stand” or gate 18.
Sen. Dillon noted that after insisting of wanting to go at gate 18, his supporters crowded the entrance, something which prompted him to apply “common sense and good judgment” to vacate gate 18 for the VIP entrance in a bid to avoid human casualties.
“I went on the field to cheer my county; unfortunately, the unfortunate situation happened. Since I became Senator the Executive branch has been very hostile to me. I am doing a work for the people-I cooperate with the executive; I don’t need to be in the presence of the president to do the work of the people even if that work is sent by the executive”.
“I had three of my securities and my driver. I told them that three persons will remain outside with the driver to look after and protect the car and one will go with me because that has been a normal protocol”.
Sen. Dillon pointed out that while approaching the VIP entrance, an unidentified senior EPS officer, who had allegedly humiliated him on numerous occasions, requested him and his securities to display their tickets.
Following the display of two tickets, he added that, the EPS officer again requested to search his security, even though others were passing through without being allegedly searched.
Following the search, Senator Dillon claimed that the EPS officer refused to allow him and his security entrance into the stadium on grounds that the President was already in.
He noted that though other spectators were entering into the stadium through other entrances and despite numerous pleas from others for him and his security to be allowed into the stadium at the time President Weah was in a jersey playing football on the field, the senior EPS officer allegedly refused to do so.
President Weah featured in an exhibition match which was held between former Lone Star versus Current Lone Star prior to the start of the county meet final.
Sen. Dillon pointed out that he didn’t go at the stadium around 3PM to particularly witness the exhibition match, but he had gone there to specifically witness the grand final of the county meet and he chose to remain around the stadium until 6PM.
“Another EPS officer and police man came and said you are disrespecting the Senator-your open the door let the Senator pass. By the time they open the door, people entered the way they not supposed to enter. By the time they entered, this EPS officer grabbed my bodyguard and assaulted him with his walkie-talkie and bit his hand; and they said they want to arrest my security”.
“I told them no; it’s me your targeting and if you want to carry him to the police station, I will go to the police station. The Director of the EPS Trokon was there and he said ‘the EPS officer said he has complained against your security and your security must go with them to the police station’ and they said I should go on the field, but I said no”.
When contacted via text messages and phone calls on his personal 0770526352 phone number, EPS Director Trokon Roberts refused to respond to the allegation.
Sen. Dillon disclosed that though other public officials, including Deputy Speaker Fonati Koffa, Foreign Affairs Minister Dee. Maxwell Kemayah and several others were permitted to enter the field along with their bodyguards; he was allegedly prevented from entering the stadium with his security.
Not the first time
Sen. Dillon recalled that for some times now, he has been allegedly humiliated and disrespected by this identical EPS officer, who assaulted his security.
“When we approached the entrance, a particular EPS officer-he has decided that I am a subject of disrespect every time he sees me at a function where the President is. On two occasions, I have quietly reported to the (Senate) Pro-Temp and few other Senators. This particular EPS officer deprived my entry into Capitol Building for the 2020 annual message and this recent 2021 annual message on ground that my car does not have a pass”.
“This is the fourth to fifth time the EPS has shown me gross disrespect to this level. Because I have not brought it to the public, didn’t mean it has not been happening”
Sentimental elite guards
By law, the Executive Protection Service (EPS) provides security for the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senate Pro-Tempore, Deputy Speaker, and others deemed necessary by the President.
But Sen. Dillon observed that security guards around the president are ill-trained and unprofessional.
According to him, most of the brutal and humiliating actions taken against public officials and other peaceful citizens by security guards around the president are based on the instructions given them, and the sentiments of the President.
He claimed that these elite guards find comfort in assaulting and humiliating public officials and others as long they are cognizant that their actions are satisfactory to the President.
“The security people around the President take instructions from the President, including acting on his sentimental feelings as to how he feels or views a citizen or a public official. When the President feels that you are an opposition, the security people who are not trained and professional will put themselves in that feeling to please the President’s emotion and sentiment; and they will treat you any how”.
Sen. Dillon indicated that though he does not need to be everywhere the President is, he deserves to be respected while exercising his constitutional responsibility of representation at state functions and other public gatherings.
He added that even though his supporters were willing to react, he exercised leadership to calm down the situation.
Not an opposition
Sen. Dillon has been consistently accused of strongly opposing the developmental plans or agenda of the Weah led-government due to his critical stance and constant checkmating of the executive branch.
But the Montserrado County pointed out that members of the executive or supporters of the Liberian leader cannot point to any developmental agenda that has been proffered by the President and was obstructed by him.
Sen. Dillon stated that he was elected by his people to ensure check and balance in the governance process of the country, and not to pass national budget without thoroughly scrutinizing such document.
He noted that his critical stance taken to consistently debate line issues in the national budget to benefit the citizenry has been misconstrued on a regular basis.
“I perform my duties and functions as a lawmaker for check and balance. When you sent a draft budget, you don’t expect me to pass it just like that. My right is to scrutinize the budget. When I am scrutinizing the budget to make input when necessary, than it comes across that Dillon is fighting the president-he’s an opposition”.
Meanwhile, Sen. Dillon has vowed to take the matter to the Plenary of the Liberian Senate, instead of secretly complaining to the Senate Pro-Tempore and extend copies to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, the United States Embassy, United Nations and ECOWAS in Liberia because, he is being targeted and would be killed in the country for political reasons.
EPS Response
In a statement issued in Monrovia late Sunday, the EPS, under the command of Trokon Roberts, expressed dismay over the continuous alleged failure of Senator Dillon to observe and abide by established protocols put in place to usher guests at functions that the President is attending.
“This action was disappointingly repeated on Sunday, January 31, during the final match of the County Meet tournament, when the Senator without regards to the protocols instructed his personal guards to ignore and bypass security in order to enter the VIP stand at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex”.
Spectators entering this section, as was the case with all other gates, were required to present tickets, according to the EPS.
Sen. Dillion was also told that every Representative and Senator in the VIP section was there without a personal security, especially when the designated security doesn’t have a ticket.
The Senator’s alleged refusal to adhere to these guidelines resulted in a melee during which his security injured an EPS officer and broke the glass at the entrance. But in spite of the unfortunate scene, the EPS offered the Senator the opportunity to enter the VIP stand; a gesture he refused.
The EPS wishes to remind the Senator and all others bent on provocations that are meant to tarnish the reputation of the group that it will continue to remain professional in the discharge of its duties, and all will be treated in accordance with the EPS standard operation procedure no matter their status.