Business
Piracy: NCC Impounds N780m Broadcast Decoders
The Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr Afam Ezekude, last Thursday, said that 3,750 units of pirated broadcast decoders, worth over N780 million, were impounded during the commission’s anti-piracy raids.
This was contained in a report issued at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, which was made available to our correspondent in Lagos.
Ezekude said that the raid was in line with the commission’s focus on proactive enforcement activities, for enhanced development of the copyright-based industry.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to intensify the execution of its regulatory and enforcement mandate, in accordance with the Copyright Act, Chapter C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Ezekude said that the broadcast stations were allegedly losing millions of naira to illegal trafficking in broadcast signal-hacking devices.
“The operatives of the commission swooped once again on the notorious Alaba International Market, Ojo, and the Isashi area of Lagos, arresting broadcast pirates.
“The report also revealed that other brand names of the hacking devices impounded include AZ Sky, Oscar, AZ Sky II, Redata and micro boxes, used for the illegal business,” Ezekude said.
He said that the commission would pursue resolutely government’s zero tolerance stances against piracy of copyright-protected works, in any part of the country.
The NCC boss said that a suspected pirate was arrested for illegal stocking and marketing of broadcast decoders and other pirated broadcast-signal hacking gadgets.
“This is in a bid to burst a new trend of importation, marketing and exploitation of high-tech equipment for hacking or piracy of encoded broadcasts signals, mostly of DSTV channels.
“Acting on intelligence and surveillance reports, copyright inspectors, with armed police back-up and Multichoice officials, last Tuesday stormed the market’s electronics section, and some outlets in Isashi, Lagos, recently,” he said.
The director-general said that investigations had revealed that the multipurpose broadcast signal-hacking device had the capacity to decode copyright-protected, encrypted signals and also receive such signals from any part of the world.
According to him, this trend, it has been found, is now short-changing international and local cable TV organisations like DSTV.
Business
NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products
Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.
The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.
The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.
“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.
NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.
