The Lagos State Government has warned that thousands of prank calls to its emergency response centre are undermining rescue operations and putting lives at risk, disclosing that nearly two-thirds of daily calls received by the state’s command and control centre are false alarms.
Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, disclosed this while representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as keynote speaker at the third Lagos International Fire Safety Conference.
The conference, themed “Preventing the Preventable: Strengthening Fire Safety in Buildings and Business Hubs,” focused on improving fire prevention measures and strengthening safety culture across homes, workplaces and commercial centres.
Hamzat said abuse of the state’s emergency lines continued to divert critical resources away from genuine emergencies.
“Our command and control centre is well equipped. But tragically, if we receive 1,000 calls a day, 62 per cent are actually [hoax] calls,” he said.
