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.

 The Director of Enforcement, NCC, Mr. Augustine Amodu, made the disclosure

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.