Major Nigerian producers and worst losers in the illicit business of piracy has called on the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to look beyond pursuing sellers of pirated works at market places and trace the producers of the products at their production hideout to hit them hard than waiting till when they flood the market with pirated works of Nigerians.
A producer, Chief Emma Nwagu who spoke with our correspondent in Enugu Sunday, said “We as producers are tired with stories of raids’ and arrests of millions of pirated works along the streets and major markets.
According to him, “Piracy will end in Nigeria when pirates are hit at their production hideouts which some of us know and even the NCC also know if they want to say the truth.
Only weekend, the Lagos Zonal Office of the NCC said it arrested 25 suspected pirates and seized goods worth N76.6 million in 2016.
Mr. Obi Ezielo, the Zonal Manager of the commission said in Lagos that the commission also carried out the anti-piracy raids within the year under review.
He said that the locations where the 25 suspected pirates were arrested include; Alaba, Shomolu, Ajegunle and Ojo. He further told the agency that the action was also extended to some major markets in the state.
The agency said the seized goods include 350,000 copies of optical discs, some home videos, movies, musical works and literary books, suspected of being pirated. Ezeilo said that NCC seized N20 million worth of goods seized in Alaba market in March and N1.5million goods in April in the same market.
“In June, N5 million goods were seized at Shomolu, in July, N50 million worth of goods were also seized in Shomolu while in August, N50,000 worth of goods were seized in Ajegunle Lamlad,” he said. Ezeilo said that some of the suspects had been charged to the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He said the commission conducted anti-piracy inspection in professional print, publishing and CDs’ distribution outlets within Lagos metropolis where it made some seizures. He said that the commission would step up its anti-piracy raids and eradication in 2017.
“Despite the financial constraints confronting the commission, we will not fail to discharge our mandate, because the eradication of piracy attitude is our utmost priority.”
He said that though 2017 was a challenging year for the commission, the commission made it marks. Ezeilo assured stakeholders of the commission’s zeal and effort to combat piracy in 2017 adding that genuine creators would benefit from the products of their creativity.
