The Nigerian Copyright Commission has confiscated suspected pirated books worth N50 million in Yaba.

Charles Amudipe, the NCC’s head of operations in Lagos, who led the team, said the NCC carried out an anti-piracy action in Yaba Book Market, Lagos.

“During the said anti-piracy operation, five bookshops and three warehouses(parking stores, where suspected pirated books were stored around Yaba market were visited. Materials suspected to be pirated were seized and owners of those bookshops were arrested,” he said.

Mr Amudipe added, ”The anti-piracy raid is to send a signal to the public that the commission has upscaled it’s enforcement activities. The commission warns booksellers, schools, printers and all those who deal in copyright materials that the commission will not tolerate piracy in any form.”

He noted that the commission was aware that pirated books were being pushed directly to schools for sale.

”Any school found aiding the sale of pirated books  will be treated as a book pirate. The commission hereby mandates all printers, booksellers and schools who deal in books to have adequate documentation on the source of the books they are dealing in.

“Any printer who does not keep the expected records according to the copyright act, will be severely dealt with. All those who engage in book selling should have proper receipts as evidence for their purchase from the right source,” he said. 

(NAN)