Beware! Pirated copies of NIC rules in circulation

The National Industrial Court (NIC), says pirated copies of its new Civil Procedure Rules 2017, are in circulation and advised legal practitioners to buy the book through approved channels.

Mr Olurotimi Daudu, Deputy Chief Registrar of NIC, said some legal practitioners complained they had sighted the pirated copies of the rules in some locations across the country.

Daudu spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

He noted that while piracy was a great challenge in Nigeria, it was particularly dangerous to the judiciary, as laws could be misrepresented, and could distort legal proceedings.

”The public has to be aware, when you see somebody hawking the rules of court by the roadside, at road intersections and you choose to patronise them; most times you may not get the right thing.

”On our part, we have sent copies of the rules to every faculty of law, every library in Nigeria, and every known public institution in Nigeria.

”We have in some occasions distributed copies of the rules in court even though they are for sale and we expended money printing them , just to limit the influence of pirates.

”We have tried to really reach out to people at every strata of the society to ensure that they have the correct version of the rules,” he said.

Daudu urged litigants and legal practitioners to ensure that they purchase the new rules through the approved channels.

(NAN)