Book Piracy: NCC seizes N7m materials, seals Garki market store

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has raided a store in Garki Market, Abuja, and seized suspected pirated books worth about N7 million.

The raid was carried out on Friday, September 4, 2026, as part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to stop the production and sale of pirated books across the country.

The Director of Public Affairs of the NCC, Ijeoma Egbunike, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday.

She said the operation was carried out by the commission’s enforcement team led by the Director of Operations, Femi Ajala, with the support of armed police officers from the Federal Capital Territory Command.

According to Egbunike, the commission received information that pirated books were being stored and distributed from the location.

Acting on the information, the enforcement team moved into the market and discovered a large quantity of books suspected to have been reproduced and sold without the permission of the authors, publishers and other copyright owners.

The team seized and evacuated several cartons and bags of the suspected pirated books before sealing the store.

Ajala said the operation was part of the NCC’s intelligence-led efforts to fight copyright piracy and protect authors, publishers and other owners of intellectual property.

He described piracy as a major threat to Nigeria’s creative and publishing industries, noting that it denies legitimate copyright owners income from their works and discourages investment in the creative sector.

“The operation was intelligence-driven. We received information about the location and acted on that intelligence. The volume of books recovered shows the seriousness of the situation and the need for sustained enforcement,” he said.

Ajala said the commission would continue to track down individuals and groups involved in the illegal reproduction, distribution and commercial sale of copyrighted works.

He added that further investigations would begin immediately to determine the ownership and source of the seized books, as well as how they were distributed.

He said the investigation would also help the commission identify those responsible for the illegal activities so they could face the law.

The NCC also warned people involved in the unauthorised commercial use of copyrighted materials that it would continue to use intelligence, surveillance and enforcement operations to disrupt their activities.

Ajala said the commission’s operations would not be limited to known piracy locations, adding that it would also monitor other areas where pirated books could enter the market, including educational institutions.

The commission stressed that fighting book piracy is not only about enforcement but also about protecting Nigerian authors, publishers, researchers, teachers and the wider creative industry.

The NCC urged members of the public, publishers, copyright owners and other stakeholders to provide useful information that could help expose and disrupt piracy networks.

Some of the books seized during the raid include Purple Hibiscus, The Magic of Thinking Big, New General Mathematics for Senior and Junior Secondary Schools 1, 2 and 3, Stan Basic Science and Technology for Primary School Workbook 3, Lantern Steps to Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning 3, Classic Basic Technology for Junior Secondary Schools 3, Active Basic Science and Technology for Junior Secondary Schools Workbook 2, Queen Primer Royal School Series Part 1, WABP Physical and Health Education for Primary Schools 1 and 4, Learn Mathematics 5, New School Physics for Senior Secondary Schools, MacMillan Champion Primary Mathematics 3 and 4 and Tonad Essential Commerce for Senior Secondary Schools, among others.

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