Hawkers are reportedly selling pirated copies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s controversial book, ‘My Watch’ for N7, 000 in the streets of Lagos State.
The Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West, Buruji Kashamu, had initially taken the issue of the controversial book to court in a bid to stop Obasanjo from launching it.
An Abuja high court had led by Justice Valentine Ashi, had directed security agents, including the police and the Department of State Service, to seize all the copies of the controversial autobiography which borders on his life in the military, as a democratic president and after office as the Vice president.
Against the order by the court, Obasanjo published the book which was written in three volumes on Tuesday, December 9, 2014.
It was learnt that the book’s original copies sold at N15, 000 while the pirated copy which was reduced to two volumes has a white cover instead of the yellow and brown colour of the original copies.
Some of the hawkers selling the book in the Maryland and Opebi areas of the state disclosed that the controversial book has become scarce.
One of the them disclosed to Punch that following the court order for the books too be confiscated, pirates immediately made copies because they knew it would become scarce thereafter.
He said, “My friend, you know this book is illegal now and we are even taking a huge risk selling it. The controversy in the pages of the book and the controversy that it has continued to generate in society have made it a bestseller.
“I usually sell it between N11,000 and N7,000 depending on the negotiating power of the customer.”
The source refused to disclose where he usually obtained the books from. He said, “You want to spoil my market? Of course I can’t tell you.”
