Liberia: Stone For Stone, Gun For Gun: Sen. Dillon Threatens Harsh Retaliation after Being Stoned and Attacked During Outreach

Monrovia – A community engagement meeting between opposition politician, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, and his supporters ended abruptly in district 16 when an unidentified man violently intruded into the hall, demanding to greet and hug the Montserrado County lawmaker.

The incident took place at the hall of the Church of God of Prophecy Church in the St. Paul Bridge on the Bushrod Island, outside Monrovia on Sunday, .

Senator Dillon had gone at the meeting to engage his supporters and to detail his plans ahead of the December 8 senatorial election.

But the meeting ended abruptly when an unknown individual wearing blue t-shirt and jeans trouser with a pair of white sneakers forcibly entered the hall demanding to hug Senator Dillon.

The unidentified individual was prevented from reaching to Senator Dillon, lifted and threw out of the hall by security guards.

Eyewitnesses explained that the unidentified individual, who forcibly entered the hall, was previously seen with some youth leaders of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), at the Mature Intellectual Forum where Representative Dixon Seeboe was addressing a group of young people.

Representative Seeboe is an executive of the governing party.

The forum is located right opposite the Church of God of Prophecy, where Senator Dillon and his supporters were also meeting.

The two (2) areas are located adjacent and opposite the Zone One Depot Two police station in St. Paul Bridge.

Representative Seeboe was reportedly invited by the leadership of the forum to speak on key national issues, including the status of the National Budget.

Stones throwing were the order of the day between some supporters and members of the CDC and Senator Dillon who had gone at the forum to listen to the pair.

The incident exacerbated when youths of the CDC, dressed in ruling party regalia, and headed by one Abdul Kanneh, stormed the St. Paul Bridge Community after attending a program in the Borough of New Kru Town where Representative Thomas Fallah was serving as Launcher.

The program was organized by former CDC lawmaker Edward Forh.

Senator Dillon has later risked away, along with his entourage, while Representative Seeboe and his family also escaped unharmed during the incident.

At least four persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the violence.

Dillon’s reaction

In a live podcast on his official Facebook page, Senator Dillon vowed to ensure the disruption of any political program being held by Representative Thomas Fallah if the incident reoccurs.

Representative Fallah, who is representing the people of electoral district # 5 in the 54th National Legislature, is the candidate of the ruling CDC for the senatorial seat in Montserrado County.

He also promised to lead a stone throwing campaign against the home and convoy of President George Manneh Weah, who is the political leader of the CDC, if intrusion and violence are instigated by supporters of the CDC during any of his political engagements with his supporters.

Senator Dillon wondered while his political gatherings planned by his supporters are most often allegedly infiltrated by some members of the CDC, even though his supporters are not bent on doing the same.

“Had anything happened to me today, I wonder George Weah thinks he’s gonna sleep at his house? The next time I go to any program and any CDCian throw rock at me, we will go for George Weah. Thomas Fallah can have program 10 times a day in 18; nobody can go disrupt it because our people are matured, orderly, civilized and responsible. They don’t want Thomas Fallah, and so, they did not go there to mix with his crowd”.

“Every time I go to a program, they go there to disrupt and disturb with a deliberate intent to bodily harm me. The next time rock is thrown, or disturbance occurs at any of my program, there will be no electoral program in this town headed by Thomas Fallah”.

The Montserrado County lawmaker further expressed disappointment over the attitude of some mainstream media practitioners to report on attacks on his life, and his political engagement meetings with residents of the county.

He reiterated calls for members of the CPP to carry rocks and other weapons to protect themselves at all times.

“One rock threw at me threw at me going forward, we will throw rocks at George Weah’s convoy. If he’s scared to leave his house, we will throw stones at his house. Everywhere I go, they put fear in my people. This nonsense has to stop. You want to move me from the Senate; it will be by the way of the people that put me in the Senate”.

Less than 24 hours, Senator Dillon backpedaled over his previous pronouncement to “throw stones” at the convoy and home of President Weah.

He described his comments against the Liberian presidency as “inappropriate” and extended an apology.

Speaking at a news conference held at the Capitol Building on Monday, Senator Dillon, however, maintained that he and his supporters will be constrained to protect themselves if they are attacked during any other political engagements he attends.

Seeboe’s response

For his part, Montserrado County Representative Dixon Seeboe termed the incident as “crazy” and well-orchestrated.

He claimed that the venue for the holding of Senator Dillon’s engagement meeting with his supporters was changed numerous times by the organizers.

He added that for unknown reasons the organizers allegedly opted to use the campuses of the St. Mary High School, Mark J. Richards Memorial Institute and the Bridgeway Baptist Church previously, but later decided to use the Church of God of Prophecy edifice, right opposite the intellectual forum

“I was invited to the Mature Intellectual Forum since two weeks ago. Last Tuesday, I confirmed to them that I was going there. On Friday I learnt that Darius Dillon was coming into the district and he was going to St. Mary’s School”.

“Because they knew that I was going to be at Mature Intellectual Forum, they changed their venue 9:00AM in the morning from St. Mary to come to Mature. I didn’t know Darius was around or else, I couldn’t have come. It was orchestrated because some people just want to spoil this country”.