The Nigerian Copyright Commission has reported the arrest of three bookshop owners in Rivers State for their alleged involvement in book piracy.
The arrests were part of a broader anti-piracy operation carried out in the Port Harcourt metropolis.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Director of the NCC’s Port Harcourt Directorate, Abdul Babatunde, explained that the operation led to the confiscation of suspected pirated books valued at approximately N3 million.
Babatunde revealed this information during a briefing on Tuesday, following the raid.
The three suspects are currently under investigation. Babatunde emphasized that they will face prosecution once their involvement in the illegal activity is confirmed.
He also reaffirmed the NCC’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of authors and other stakeholders in the copyright ecosystem, noting that piracy undermines the hard work of creatives.
“The commission is committed to seeing that the activities of pirates in Rivers and Bayelsa are reduced to the barest minimum,” Babatunde stated. He stressed that the NCC’s Director-General, Dr. John Asien, holds a firm stance against piracy and any infringement of copyright laws.
In a stern warning to booksellers, printers, and importers, Babatunde reiterated the commission’s zero tolerance for intellectual property theft.
He urged the public to avoid purchasing pirated materials, explaining that it constitutes a criminal offense under Section 44 of the Copyright Act, 2022.
“Patronizing pirates is to kill creativity and the economy. Let us buy our books from publishers and authorized dealers, and not from middlemen, printers, and roadside dealers,” he cautioned.
Babatunde equally appealed to the public for credible information that could aid the NCC in combatting piracy, especially in Rivers and neighboring Bayelsa State.
One of the suspects, Mrs. Chinyere Ezediora, claimed she was new to the book business and unaware of the laws against piracy.
“I heard about book piracy for the first time when the commission came for arrest in our shop,” she said. Ezediora called for more public awareness on the issue, adding, “The public needs to be more informed about the law.”
The NCC’s operation is part of a larger effort to combat the rising threat of piracy, which affects not only authors but the broader economy by discouraging creativity and investment in intellectual property.
