The Nigerian Copyright Commission has confiscated and destroyed 5,061 pirated books with an estimated market value of N50.61m in Ondo and Ekiti states.
The destruction exercise was carried out on Thursday at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps office in Akure, Ondo State.
Director-General of the commission, Dr John Asein, who was represented by the NCC Oyo State Coordinator, Mrs Oluropo Oke, said the books were seized from nine bookshops across the two states during various enforcement operations.
According to him, two of the affected shops were located in Ado-Ekiti, another two in Akure, while five were in Ondo town.
Asein said the commission ordered the shredding of the seized items to prevent them from finding their way back into circulation.
He explained that the offenders had already faced sanctions prescribed by law, including the forfeiture of the pirated materials and payment of fines to the Federal Government.
The NCC boss urged members of the public to purchase books only from recognised authors, publishers, or reputable bookshops, warning against buying from roadside vendors and unauthorised dealers.
He stressed that book piracy was harmful to the creative industry and the wider economy, noting that it discouraged creativity, deprived rights holders of income, promoted substandard products and undermined national development.
Asein also commended the NSCDC for its support, adding that the Nigerian Copyright Act empowered the commission to arrest and punish individuals involved in piracy and other forms of intellectual property theft.