How ESWAMA Enugu does their work

The need for some sort of feedback is what made me to do this write up. It will be wrong for us all to fold our arms to some actions of state agencies, whether they are right or wrong. This is a real life story, which happened about a month ago in Enugu. On a hot afternoon in the middle of June 2015, an artisan was working at a building site. A rented bus drove up the street and parked at the gate of the building site, four hefty men stormed out of the bus, trailed by a man who claims to be a policeman. The men were looking tough and rough. They enter the premises and demand to know the whereabouts of the owners of the building site. The worker, a carpenter told them he does not know where they have gone to, he just started working at the site yesterday. they then ordered him to come with them, he refused so they forcefully took him into the bus half dressed and in his dirty work clothes and sped off. They did not explain his offenses to him, rather they took him to their headquarters and keep him in an enclosed but open place, fenced with wire gauze. The ask him to call whoever sent him to work there, and that is how I came into the picture. I got to the offices of ESWAMA late, as I was coming from a neighboring state, they asked me if I was in charge of the construction site and I answered in the positive, they then asked me to come into their offices. There were many hefty young men parading the premises, with sour threatening looks, you will immediately feel like you are in the middle of a troubled place. Inside, a calm man explained to me that they arrested the worker because we were supposed to pay N100,000 to the coffers of ESWAMA before any construction activities at the site. They said the money is for them to evacuate the debris from the building site, I complained that I have never seen any ESWAMA vehicle around my site but they said its the law, its the norm these days. I have not been notified of this payment, so they started claiming that they dropped a demand notice with a worker at site, the worker in question is a temporary worker who must have taken the paper home and forgot. So they insisted I pay them N100,000 there and then or they will lock up the young man till Monday of the following week. I complained to them calmly, explaining that I was not notified but instead of listening, they blew up, asked me to get into the bus so they will go and lock me up. This was happening around 4.33pm on a Friday evening. I pleaded with them to allow the boy go so I can come and see them later, they instead go more mad, threatening to beat me up if I wasted time in getting into the bus. I also lost my temper (I have one too) we went on a shouting match, they all rushed at me, making to beat me up. It was a scene to watch, I heard from some people that they usually beat up people at will. There is also the true story of a boy they killed last year at Abakpa area. Another officer came out of the office and restrained them from pushing me, he took me to his office while they were shouting insults at me, he explained to me to pay up, even if it was only N70,000 so they can let my worker go. I complained that banks are closed and work is also closed, but the held their ground and insisted I pay the 70k. When I went out to look for money, they drove the guy away to the police station at CPS, Enugu. They detained him till the next day while I was looking for them, no information, nothing. I finally found him inside a cell at CPS on Saturday afternoon, met the police to facilitate his release, but everyone insisted I go and settle with the ESWAMA guys before they release him, or they charge him to court on Monday. The long and short of the matter was that I called all the lawyers I know in Enugu, 5 of them could not do anything, one said the matter was included as a state law, passed by the assembly. They detained this young man till Sunday afternoon before we rallied round and gave them N80,000 before they released this young man, I went and met them the next day at their office, they had in their captivity at the open detention center, about 30 individuals, many teenagers, many married women and workers whom am sure were arrested from their homes. Is this the right way to collect IGR? Do these agencies have the right to forcefully arrest a worker who is neither the owner, nor the contractor in a site?