‘Intellectual pirates are guilty of corruption’

A judge of the High Court of Justice, Koton-Karfe, Kogi State, Justice Alaba Omolaye Ajileye, has described those who specialise in pirating other people’s intellectual works as not only enemies of progress, but are also guilty of corruption.

Justice Ajileye stated this while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last week after the arrest of some pirates who had been selling his book, Admissibility of Electronic Evidence, by officials of the Nigeria Copyright Commissions(NCC),Ibadan Zonal Office.

Speaking further, Justice Ajileye lamented the fact that these set of people sow where they did not reap, while the owner of such intellectual property struggle to reap the reward of their efforts.

Speaking on the arrested pirates, the Zonal Manager of NCC, Ibadan, Mrs Bisi Ogundiran, said the suspects were arrested in their shops located inside the premises of State High Court, Ring-Road, where they were selling the pirated copies of the Justice’s book.

Mrs Ogundiran said the pirates had been selling the book to unsuspected members of the public for a long time, and had made huge profit from the sales before the Commission got wind of their illegal business through an information supplied by the author.

“The pirates were even selling the pirated book to people inside the premises of High Court, knowing full well that the author of the book is a Judge of High Court,” the surprised NCC boss said, while admitting that the suspects would soon be charged to court.