The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has detained the proprietors of four private schools in Rivers State for alleged book piracy.
The Director of NCC, Port Harcourt Directorate, Mr. Abdul Babatunde, disclosed this to journalists shortly after an anti-piracy operation in the state capital on Friday.
The exercise took place within the GRA, Rumuibekwe; Rumukurusi, and East-west Road axis in the Port Harcourt metropolis.
Babatunde said the suspected pirated books worth N2.5 million were confiscated by the commission during the operation.
He added that the raid was carried out to check the illicit activities of school proprietors as it affected the book trade.
The director said: “The school proprietors, whose schools were visited, are currently undergoing investigation and would be charged to court if the commission can establish a prima facie evidence against them.”
Babatunde vowed that there would be no safe haven for dealers of pirated books under his watch.
He said: “This operation is part of the commission’s mandate to protect and promote the rights of authors and other investors in the copyright ecosystem.
“The NCC Director-General, Dr. John Asien, has zero tolerance for piracy and violation of the copyright laws.”
Babatunde, therefore, warned school proprietors, booksellers, printers, and importers of pirated books to desist from the criminal act.
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