The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has launched the anti-piracy offensive in the North-East and arrested six suspected film pirates, Mr. Augustine Amodu, the commission’s Director of Enforcement, has said.

Amodu made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the offensive was part of the commission’s zero-tolerance drive against piracy in all its forms across major cities and markets in the six geo-political zones of the country.

He said: “the enforcement raid against the suspected film pirates was carried out by a team of Copyright Inspectors backed by armed policemen.

“Such operations will continue unhindered because piracy is a menace to our economy.

“The Commission in this new offensive will not relent in its effort until the activities of suspected pirates are stamped out of the region.

“It is no longer business as usual for pirates so that right owners can enjoy the reward for their efforts.’’

The director pointed out that as part of its enforcement operations in the North-East, the Commission raided suspected film pirates in Bauchi metropolis.

He said that a total of 1, 611 pirated DVDs and 2,200 empty packets used in packaging pirated DVDs, worth N321, 550 were seized from the suspects.

He said that the six arrested suspects were granted administrative bail while the investigation is ongoing.

NAN recalls that, as part of its intensified enforcement operations across Nigeria, NCC had in March seized and destroyed pirated items worth N2.4 billion in Enugu state.

It also carried out an anti-piracy raid at the Alaba International Market, an acclaimed hub of piracy activities, with pirated products worth millions of naira seized and many suspects arrested.