Two containers filled with 80,882 pirated textbooks and dictionaries worth N80 million has been seized and in the custody of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Tincan Port, B.N. Obiakulusi, while Speaking during the inspection of the books at the Lagos Zonal Office, emphasized the commitment of the NCS in the fight against contraband goods, particularly pirated books brought into the country through the ports.
It was reported that both containers had N80 million worth of books, including books from Learn Africa Plc, Lantern books, Africana First Publishers Plc, Tonad Publishers Ltd and Oxford University Press. The event had representatives of the publishers, whose books were pirated, including members of the booksellers association of Nigeria.
Obiakulusi said that the Customs also intercepted two more containers of pirated books under investigation which it hopes to hand over to NCC anytime soon.
He said, “before now people carry all these books and. like the DG said, you can’t differentiate between the original and the pirated copy, but through our collaboration with NCC, we are able to intercept the pirated books.
“I assure you no pirated book will escape our watch. As we speak we have two more containers which will be handed over to NCC anytime soon. We are working earnestly to make sure we bring all these things to a stop. I commend NCC DG for his efforts at fighting piracy, and his staff for their aptness in searching for pirated books.”
