NCC arrests three, confiscates equipment over copyright violation in Enugu
The Enugu State Directorate office of the Nigeria Copyright Commission, on Thursday, shutdown Real Summit Television Network for allegedly rebroadcasting copyright-protected content to Nsukka residents and its environs.
The Commission also arrested three staff of the network and confiscated thousands of equipments including over 70 different decoders of various cable networks and computers.
Conducting journalists around the station at the University Town of Nsukka in Nsukka Local Government of Enugu State, during a broadcast anti-piracy operation, Assistant Director Operation, Mr Okwudili Macfoy, said the station was not licensed by the Nigeria Communication Commission.
According to him, the network was illegally rebroadcasting copyright-protected contents of other cable networks to its customers.
Okwudili gave the three names of the arrested suspects as Ene Ikechukwu, Ezegwu Collins and Edochi Chibuike.
Speaking to our correspondent shortly after the operation, the State Director of the Commission, Mrs Okeke Ngozi, warned those in the habit of pirating copyright-protected products to desist before the long arm of the law caught up with them.
“The operation today is an outcome of campaign that the Commission had been carrying over a period of time against privacy, campaign against theft, campaign against laziness, campaign against robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is a campaign also we have been carrying against destroying the economy of the country.
“You have seen what happened at Nsukka, when they do all these things we tell them it is better you channel your resources and investment in the right place because no matter how long it takes the long arm of the law will surely catch up with them.
“You know in their mind they will be thinking that they are having a field day, they will be smiling at the bank at the detriment of others. We as a Commission we are not in hurry but no matter how long it takes we will surely get at them and we will charge them and that is exactly what you have seen that happened today,” she said.
