- Asein disclosed that the mission was to rid the nation of pirated works and instill a sound copyright regime in the nation.
- He stated that books seized were those in the stables of major publishers like Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, Pearson among others.
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) seized allegedly pirated books worth N23.1 million in Uyo bookshop raids.
NCC Director General, John Asein, stated the operation aims to eliminate nationwide piracy and establish a robust copyright protection framework.
Asein, represented by Macfoy Akachukwu, targeted Uyo and surrounding areas to curb piracy through enforcement.
NAN quoted the DG identifying raided bookshops as AB Achison, God’s Own, Academic Needs, Zion in Uyo and POP Bookshop in Abak, Akwa Ibom.
“The books seized during the raid include: Basic Civic Education by Dr Merry Ukaegbu, Spectrum New Further Mathematics by T.R. Moses and Essential Christian Religious Study for Senior Secondary Schools by Orovwuje B.O and Okolie E.U.,” he said.
“Macmillan Brilliant English for Junior Secondary Schools by Wale Ossianwo, New General Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools by S. Ajayi.
Other seized books included: New Oxford Secondary English Course for Secondary Schools by Ayo Banjo and New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools by H.N. Odogwu and others.
“The seized books belong to major publishers like Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, Pearson and others.”
Asein vowed to combat piracy, empowering authors and boosting Nigeria’s economy.
“What we have done is part of the commission’s mandate to protect and promote authors’ and genuine investors’ rights in the copyright book industry,” he said.
“It’s our duty to ensure authors receive rewards for their creative work. Under my watch, piracy and copyright infringement will not be tolerated.”
The NCC DG said suspects would face prosecution to serve as a warning, adding that public support with credible information is crucial to combat piracy nationwide.
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