By: News Agency of Nigeria
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has confiscated suspected pirated books valued at ₦50 million during a raid in the Yaba area of Lagos State.
The operation, led by Charles Amudipe, Deputy Director of Operations and Head of Operations at the NCC Lagos office, targeted the Yaba Book Market. The raid resulted in the seizure of pirated materials from five bookshops and three warehouses, along with the arrest of the shop owners involved.
Amudipe emphasized that the NCC’s anti-piracy action serves as a strong warning to the public, particularly booksellers, schools, and printers, that the commission will not tolerate any form of piracy. “The anti-piracy raid is to send a signal to the public that the commission has upscaled its enforcement activities,” he said.
He also highlighted the growing issue of pirated books being directly sold to schools and warned that any school found participating in such activities would be treated as a collaborator in piracy.
The NCC has mandated all printers, booksellers, and schools dealing in books to maintain proper documentation and receipts as proof of purchase from legitimate sources. Amudipe warned that failure to adhere to these regulations would result in severe penalties under the copyright act.
