The Lagos State Government has announced that a suspect named Uzuokwu Solomon has been arraigned for the crime of making hoax calls to emergency responders. This news was confirmed by Ololade Agboola, the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, in a statement.
According to Ololade, Solomon has committed an offence punishable under both the Lagos State Fire Service Law and Command and Control Centre Law of 2013. The suspect, who is 18 years old, allegedly made a call to the emergency line of the Fire Service on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 5:35 pm. The call was made from Harmony Estate in the Ajah area of the state, and it reported a fire emergency within the estate. The emergency processes were activated, and the fire trucks from Lekki Phase II Fire Service Station were dispatched.
However, upon arrival at the scene, it was discovered that there was no fire incident in the estate. Due to the frequency of such calls in the past, the estate security helped in the investigation, which eventually led to the arrest of the notorious false caller.
The statement released by the Fire and Rescue Service reads in part, “Consequently, the culprit who had been arrested is scheduled to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction at Ogba Magistrate on the 19th of April, 2023, by 9:00 am.”
Mrs Margaret Adeseye, the Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, expressed her delight in the arrest of the culprit while reiterating the stand of the State government on malicious false calls which is punishable under the Lagos State laws. She believes that the arrest and consequent arraignment will serve as a deterrent for other misguided citizens who are in the habit of making false calls and misleading emergency responders.
Ololade added that false calls have been increasing astronomically in the last six months, which is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed. The Lagos State Government is committed to taking appropriate measures to ensure that such incidents are minimized and that emergency responders can focus on real emergencies.
Comments are closed.