The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has seized suspected pirated books worth about N7 million from a store at Garki Market in Abuja.
The operation, conducted on Friday, September 4, 2026, followed intelligence on the alleged storage and distribution of unauthorised copies of copyrighted publications. The premises was subsequently sealed.
NCC Director of Public Affairs, Ijeoma Egbunike, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
The enforcement team, led by the commission’s Director of Operations, Femi Ajala, was supported by armed police personnel from the Federal Capital Territory Command.
The commission said operatives recovered several cartons and bags of books suspected to have been reproduced and distributed without the consent of their copyright owners.
Ajala said the raid was part of the NCC’s intelligence-led campaign to disrupt piracy and protect authors, publishers and other rights holders.
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He said the seizure underscored the commercial scale of book piracy and its impact on Nigeria’s publishing industry, adding that the illicit trade deprives rights owners of legitimate income.
The commission will investigate the seized materials to establish their ownership, source and distribution channels and identify those responsible.
Ajala warned that the NCC would continue to prosecute unauthorised reproduction and commercial distribution of copyrighted works and urged the public and rights holders to provide information on piracy operations.
Among the recovered titles 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, Work Book 3, Lantern, Steps to Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning 3 and Classic Basic Technology for Junior Secondary Schools 3.
Other titles included Active Basic Science and Technology for Junior Secondary Schools and Work Book 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, Tonad and Essential Commerce for Senior Secondary Schools.
The seizure follows the NCC’s previous anti-piracy operations, including a 2024 raid at Lagos’ Yaba Book Market that recovered suspected pirated books worth N50 million and a 2025 operation in Ogun and Oyo states during which books valued at N141.5 million were destroyed.
The latest operation highlights the commission’s continuing efforts to curb the illegal book trade and protect Nigeria’s publishing industry.