PUBLIC STATEMENT: NIGERIAN COPYRIGHT COMMISSION EXECUTIVE LAWLESSNESS AGAINST MCSN
On Tuesday, 18th September 2012 at about 11.00 a.m. about seven (7) officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) led by Mr. Matthew Ojo in company of about 20 armed police officers stormed the offices of the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Limited (MCSN) and ransacked the whole offices without any search warrant or a court order.
The officials of the NCC were confronted on their mission at the MCSN office and the need to produce a warrant or a valid court order and were reminded of subsisting judgments and an order of the Federal High Court against them and its officials, but Mr. Ojo simply ignored the pleas to respect the rule of law by flashing his identity card in the face of MCSN's officials present and told them that he is aware of the judgement but that they were at the office as officials of the NCC, having the backing of the police to raid the offices and arrest all the officials of the company. He went on to request for the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, who was not available at the time of their visit. Mr. Ojo bluntly refused to disclose the main purpose of their visit when asked and pressed upon by the MSCN officials, instead he proceeded with other officials with him to take possession and cart away files, documents, computer processing units and other materials from MCSN offices contravening the right to privacy and the need to respect the rule of law.
One would expect that the officials will take inventory of all the files, documents and materials taken from the offices of MCSN before removal but this is not the case, they were impressed upon by the MCSN's officials the need to do that but they vehemently ignore them and went ahead to arrest the officials of the MSCN.
They left with the following arrested official of our company at about 12.45 p.m; Mr. Halim Mohammed; Communications Manager, Miss Njoku Gladys; Executive Assistant to the CEO, Mr. Olukayode Ajayi; Accounts Manager, Miss Omolara Banjo; Membership and Repertoire Services Manager and Mr. Yusuf Benson; Accounts Officer.
The officials are yet to be released as at the time this statement is issued and the NCC's officials have refused MCSN's lawyers' access to the arrested officials as at 6.15 p.m.
We are law abiding citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we are not involved in any act that would jeopardise the peace and order of the society, as we conduct our businesses as provided and recognized under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and judicial pronouncements of our law courts.
As we report, there are no less than two subsisting court judgments and orders of the court against the Nigerian Copyright Commission with respect to our interests and fundamental and constitutional rights.
That the NCC is now taking part in executive lawlessness even in the face of judicial pronouncements and pending litigations raises more questions than answers about the respect for the rule of law mantra of the Federal Government, noting that the NCC operates under the supervision of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who had earlier directed all parties to respect judicial decisions and observe the rule of law.
NCC apparently aims to cripple the lawful and legal operations of MCSN in order to pave the way for its puppet collecting society, which have found difficult, as their aim is to fraudulently and deceitfully take over MCSN's massive proprietary interests in copyright in Nigeria.