The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed today for ruling on the bail application of an alleged online pirate, Mr Emmanuel Analike, who is being prosecuted by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) over alleged large-scale copyright infringement.
Justice Suleiman Liman ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of the bail application.
The order followed the submission of defence counsel, Mr Nnaemeka Ejiofor, who informed the court that a formal application for bail had been filed.
Analike, alongside Netnaija Media Enterprises, is standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/422/25 filed by the NCC on March 2, 2025, over alleged online copyright infringement involving the unauthorised reproduction and distribution of audiovisual works.
According to the four-count charge, the defendant allegedly made 1,458 infringing copies of audiovisual works for commercial purposes without the consent of copyright owners. The offence is punishable under Section 44(1)(a) of the Copyright Act, 2022.
He is also accused of possessing the same number of infringing copies, other than for private or domestic use, contrary to Section 44(2)(c) of the Act.
The charge further alleges that the defendant made the works available to the public through wireless means, allowing users to access them at a time and place of their choice without authorisation from the rights holders, contrary to Section 44(7) of the Act.
Analike is also accused of possessing machines, equipment and other devices intended for producing infringing copies of audiovisual works without authorisation, contrary to Section 44(1)(c) of the Act.
The alleged offences were said to have occurred between 2023 and July 2025, when the defendant was arrested by operatives of the commission following investigations triggered by repeated complaints from local and international copyright owners over activities linked to the Netnaija website.
The site has since been shut down.
Speaking after the proceedings, the Head of the NCC Legal Department, Ms Gladys Isaac-Ojo, said the arrest followed investigations into allegations of online piracy involving the unauthorised distribution of sound recordings and audiovisual works belonging to Nigerian and foreign rights holders.
She explained that although the suspect was arrested in 2025, his arraignment was delayed because the courts were on vacation.
According to her, the defendant was eventually arraigned on March 2, 2026, when he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Commenting on the case, the Director-General of the NCC, Dr John O. Asein, described the prosecution as a significant step in the commission’s campaign against digital piracy.
Dr Asein said online piracy of copyrighted works poses a serious threat to the creative economy and undermines the interests of creators, producers and investors.
In a related development, the NCC re-arrested two suspected book pirates in Owerri, Imo State, after they failed to appear before the Federal High Court despite being served with court processes in 2024.
The suspects, Mr Martins Ikechukwu Nwokorie and Mr Ikenna Nwosu, were re-arrested on February 25 and 26, 2026, following intelligence-led operations by NCC operatives.
They were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Owerri on March 3, 2026, before Justice Wigwe-Oreh Chituru Joy in Charge No. FHC/OW/45C/2025.
The court granted them bail with conditions, including the provision of sureties and a bail bond of three million naira.
Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, the defendants were remanded at the Correctional Centre along Okigwe Road in Owerri.
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