Court convicts Lagos resident for making false fire emergency call

A Lagos magistrate court in Ikeja has convicted one Uzuokwu Solomon for making a false emergency call to the state’s fire and rescue service.

According to a tweet by Jibril Gawat, an aide to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, on Friday, Solomon had placed a call on April 14, 2023, at 17:35 hours to Harmony Estate, Langbasa, Ajah area of the state, and reported a fire emergency within the estate leading to the dispatch of officers of the Lekki Phase II fire service station.

Upon arrival at the scene, the responders found no trace of fire in the reported area.

At the hearing on Thursday, Solomon pleaded guilty to the offence, and Bambo Odueke, the magistrate, sentenced him to one-month imprisonment with an option of a fine, and a month of community service. The defendant settled for the fine.

“The Magistrate sitting at the Samuel Ilori Magistrate Court Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos has yesterday convicted one Uzuokwu Solomon of the two counts charge preferred against him by the State,” the tweet reads.

“Magistrate Bambo Odueke committed him to a month imprisonment with an option of a fine and a month of community service that includes a campaign against false calls within the jurisdiction of the state. Whereas, the convict opted for the fine.

“The magistrate who tempered justice with mercy passed the minimum verdict of the law on him after the defendant showed remorse and wasted no time of the court by pleading guilty to bridging the public peace and making hoax fire emergency call.”

Speaking on the ruling, Margaret Adeseye, director of Lagos state fire and rescue service, expressed her delight in the swift prosecution of the case to serve as a deterrent to residents who are in the habit of making false calls and misleading emergency responders.