Copyright Commission raids Ibadan bookshops, arrests suspects over piracy

Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has raided bookshops successful Ibadan, Oyo State, implicit the merchantability of pirated books, arresting respective suspects and sealing aggregate outlets.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the operation, carried retired connected Saturday, was led by the Oyo State Coordinator of NCC, Mrs Oluropo Oke, with enactment from operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Bookshops sealed during the raid see Genesis, God’s Grace, Idera, Ireti-Olu, Oluseyi and Blessings Bookshops, among others, located successful Beere, Oritamerin, Dugbe, Gbagi and Agbeni areas of the city.

Oke said the raid was portion of the commission’s mandate to curb piracy, particularly during the schoolhouse play erstwhile publication request surges.

“We cheque what sellers display, their sources of supply, and guarantee they bash not banal pirated works.

“The Director-General of NCC, Dr John Asein, has zero tolerance for piracy due to the fact that it denies authors and publishers their rightful benefits,” she said.

She warned that some sellers and store owners who obstruct enforcement officers would look prosecution.

He noted that galore of the shops lacked due acquisition records, receipts, oregon documentation for their stock.

“Some of the receipts we saw lone showed the full magnitude of books purchased without listing titles oregon authors.

“That’s a motion of shady practices. They indispensable explicate their records,” she added.

Oke said excuses that publishers oregon authors failed to marque books disposable successful the marketplace could not warrant the merchantability of pirated works.

“Piracy kills creativity, hurts the system and promotes substandard books.

“Whether oregon not publishers conscionable demand, booksellers indispensable not crook to pirated copies,” she warned.

She assured that suspects arrested during the cognition would beryllium prosecuted successful enactment with the law.

The station Copyright Commission raids Ibadan bookshops, arrests suspects implicit piracy appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.