The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has seized and shredded 5,061 pirated books worth N50.610 million in Ondo and Ekiti States.
Director-General, NCC, John Asein, shredded the books on Thursday at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) office in Akure, Ondo State.
Mr Asein, represented by the NCC Oyo State Coordinator, Ibadan office, Oluropo Oke, said that the books were seized from the nine different bookshops in Ondo and Ekiti states
According to him, the books were seized from two bookshops in Ado-Ekiti, two bookshops in Akure, and five in Ondo town during various enforcement operations.
He said, “The seized books have been shredded because we don’t want them to be recirculated in the market.
“Those caught with the books have already faced the penalties of what the law says. They have forfeited the books and earlier paid the necessary fines to the Federal Government.”
The NCC director, therefore, admonished citizens to always patronise the right source whenever they wanted to buy books.
He stated, “If you want to buy your books, please buy from authors or representatives of publishers or notable bookshops, rather than those that hawk books on the streets.
“For those engaging in piracy, they should know that the effects of piracy are very bad.
“They should desist from it because piracy kills creativity, seizes income from the right owners, encourages production of substandard goods and destroys the nation’s economy.”
Mr Asein, who appreciated the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their support, said the Nigerian Copyright Act empowered the commission to punish any citizen caught pirating or illegally dealing in intellectual property.
(NAN)