MONROVIA – A special agent of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, Myron Swen, has accused his immediate supervisor, Fitzgerald Biago, the newly appointed Officer in Charge of the LDEA, of physically assaulting him during an official trip to Nimba County, leaving him with a painful eye injury that, according to him, has not healed days after the incident.
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr.
Biago, who also serves as a Deputy Commissioner of Police within the Liberia National Police, reportedly struck Swen in the face while they were traveling to Nimba County to visit Biago’s ailing uncle. Swen, who serves as a special aide to Biago, said his responsibilities
include opening vehicle doors for his boss, collecting items given to him during official movements, and assisting him at public functions.
In an interview with FrontPageAfrica, Swen recounted that the alleged assault occurred without provocation and described it as the latest in a pattern of abuse by his superior.
“I did nothing to him, but he punched me unexpectedly,” Swen said, adding that his eye has continued to leak water since the incident.
According to Swen, this was not the first time Biago had physically mistreated him. He alleged that his boss frequently becomes physically aggressive when angry, despite repeated appeals for the behavior to stop.
“For that reason, I have pleaded with him to change my assignment because he always humiliates me in public,” Swen said. “I told him many times that I am a grown man, but he continued.”
Swen explained that tensions escalated during the trip to Nimba County. He said the group stopped in Tappita, where relatives of Biago served food. Swen stated that he was instructed to retrieve napkins from the vehicle, which he placed on the table. According to him, one of Biago’s uncles later took the remaining napkins.
While traveling from Tappita to Ganta, Swen said Biago asked him for tissue paper.
“I told him that your uncle took the napkins,” Swen said. “When I turned my face to look at him, I felt a punch straight in my face.”
Swen said there were five people in the vehicle at the time of the incident, including two other LDEA officers, a female police officer, and the driver. “When he punched me, the driver became afraid and started shaking,” Swen said. “But I told him to be calm.”
He said he did not attempt to defend himself because he feared for his safety. “I didn’t resist because all the men in the car were armed, and I don’t have a weapon,” Swen said. “They could have killed me and claimed I attacked the OIC.”
Swen explained that he remained calm until the vehicle reached a police checkpoint, where he requested to be dropped off.
“I told him my life was no longer safe with him,” he said. “That’s how I got down from the car and they left.”
According to Swen, Biago later sent him text messages apologizing for the incident and claiming that he had been joking. Swen, however, said he intends to pursue legal action, emphasizing that subordination does not justify abuse.
“I am his subordinate, but that does not mean I am his slave,” he said.
FrontPageAfrica obtained screenshots of text messages exchanged between Swen and Biago that appear to show Biago expressing regret over the incident. However, the media outlet said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the messages. Efforts to reach Biago for comment were unsuccessful, as he is reportedly out of the country.
The post Liberia: LDEA Agent Alleges Physical Assault by Newly Appointed Officer in Charge During Official Trip appeared first on FrontPageAfrica.
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