Seventeen suspected pirates have been arrested and infringed materials worth N140 million seized in Lagos State between January and August, according to the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).

Materials seized included authored books, compact disc digital video (CD) and audio CDs.

The Lagos office director of NCC, Matthew Ojo, said on Saturday that the arrests and seizures were made at Ikota, Yaba, Ikeja, Oshodi and Iyana-Ipaja, among other areas.

He said that the suspects had been charged to court and would be punished if found guilty, while the confiscated materials would be destroyed.

“This year, the commission has arrested 17 suspected pirates and also seized infringed materials worth N140 million between January and August.

“This was done by the NCC operations team with support from the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Customs Service.

“We appreciate the efforts of the security agencies in ensuring the smooth operations and kudos to the commission’s operations team as well.

“We hope to keep the good collaborative spirit alive and also strengthen the working relationship,” he said.

Mr Ojo said there was no hiding place for pirates and urged those engaged in the practice to desist from the illicit act and allow publishers of works to enjoy the fruits of their hard labour.

“It is a criminal offence to infringe on another person’s intellectual property. Those found wanting should be ready to face the music,” Mr Ojo said.

He added that the NCC would continue to raid premises where copyright infringements were being carried out.