FCT: Nigerian Copyright Commission seizes N7 million pirated books in Garki market raid

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has seized suspected pirated books worth about N7 million during an intelligence-led anti-piracy operation at an outlet in Garki Market, Abuja.

The operation, conducted on September 4, 2026, was carried out by the Commission’s enforcement team led by its Director of Operations, Mr. Femi Ajala, with the support of armed Police personnel from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Ijeoma Egbunike, the operation followed credible intelligence on the suspected storage and distribution of pirated literary works at the location.

The enforcement team, upon gaining access to the store, discovered several cartons and bags containing books suspected to have been reproduced and distributed without the authorisation of the respective copyright owners.

The materials were subsequently seized and evacuated, while the premises was sealed pending further investigation.

Speaking on the operation, Ajala said the raid was part of the Commission’s intelligence-driven strategy to disrupt copyright piracy and protect the legitimate interests of authors, publishers and other right owners.

He said piracy remained a serious threat to Nigeria’s creative and publishing industries, as it deprives legitimate right owners of income and undermines continued investment in creativity and publishing.

“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 not relent in tracking down individuals and networks involved in the illegal reproduction, distribution and commercial exploitation of copyrighted works.

He added that further investigation would commence immediately to establish the ownership and source of the seized publications, as well as trace their distribution network and identify those responsible.

According to him, the Commission would continue to deploy intelligence, surveillance and enforcement operations to disrupt piracy, warning persons involved in the commercial exploitation of copyrighted works without authorisation that they would face the full weight of the law.

The Director of Operations also disclosed that the Commission’s enforcement activities would extend beyond conventional piracy hotspots to other areas where pirated books could be introduced into the market, including educational environments.

The NCC stressed that combating book piracy was not merely an enforcement matter but a critical intervention to protect Nigerian authors, publishers, researchers, educators and the wider creative economy.

It therefore called on members of the public, copyright owners, publishers and other stakeholders to provide information that could assist the Commission in identifying and disrupting piracy networks.

Among the titles seized during the operation were 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 and 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 several others.