The Lagos state government is set to arraign 18-year-old Uzuokwu Solomon for making false calls for an emergency responder, OduNews reports.
The teenager’s action is punishable under the Lagos State Fire Service Law and Command and Control Centre Law 2013.
This was made known in a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Ololade Agboola.
Agboola said the culprit who is alleged to have called the emergency line of the Fire Service on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 17:35 hours from Harmony Estate, Langbasa, Ajah, Lagos, reported a fire emergency within the estate leading to the activation of emergency processes and eventual dispatch of the fire trucks from Lekki Phase II Fire Service Station.
The Fire Service said that on arrival, it was discovered that there was no fire incident in the estate. It added that because of the frequency of such calls in the past, the estate security helped in the investigation which led to the arrest of the notorious false caller.
Consequently, the culprit who has been arrested is scheduled to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction at Ogba Magistrate on April 19, 2023 by 9 am.
The statement quoted the Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Margaret Adeseye, as having expressed her delight in the arrest of the culprit while reiterating the stance 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 deterrent for other “misguided citizens” who are in the habit of making false calls and misleading emergency responders.
The Lagos Fire Service said that false calls have astronomically increased in the last six months.