Copyright Commission Arrests Two, Seizes N36.1m Broadcast Equipment in Delta
Two persons have been arrested and broadcast gadgets
worth N36.1 million seized by the
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in Delta State.
yesterday while interacting with journalists in
Warri.
He said the two suspects apprehended by the
enforcement team were currently cooling their feet at the facilities of the
Nigerian Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the state.
Amodu said the operations were carried out between
March 13 and 16, 2018, in Ughelli and Warri.
The director of reinforcement disclosed that items
seized included several decoders, splitters, senders, boosters and about two
trucks load of wires were also destroyed in the operation.
According to him, "We conducted anti-piracy
exercise in Ughelli and Warri between March 13 and 16, and we made a seizure of
broadcast contrivances worth N36.1 million.
"Following the zeal of the NCC
Director-General, Mr. Afam Ezekude, on the enforcement of the Nigeria’s copyright
law, we got complaints from Multichoice DSTV. We raided three base stations in
Ughelli on 13 and seized a lot of broadcast items but no suspect was caught.
"Between March 14 and 16,we raided more than
seven stations in Warri and seized several gadgets and also apprehended two
suspects who are currently detained at the NDLEA facilities.”
Amodu said there was need to sustain the
anti-piracy operations particularly on broadcast items in the Niger Delta
region because the perpetrators quickly come back to resuscitate them as soon
as the enforcement team leaves.
"In the South-south region, we have broadcast
piracy violators using one decoder to connect over 200 houses in a neighborhood
with a fee of N3000, which is wrong.
"Under the leadership of Ezekude, the enforcement
of the copyright law has come to its height, today, NCC has recorded 58
convictions and over 150 cases in the Federal High Courts," he added.
The director also warned perpetrators who indulged
in the illegalities to desist from it and sought a better means of livelihood
before the law catches up with them.
Amodu, who said piracy was a cankerworm that had
eaten deeply into the fabric of the society, noted that it was an infringement
on the diversification policy of the federal government because it discourages legitimate creativity.
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