The Lagos State Government has raised concerns over the growing number of prank and unnecessary calls being made to its emergency response centre, warning that the trend is slowing down help for people facing real emergencies. The warning was given during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja, organised to mark seven years of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Special Duties, Olugbenga Oyerinde, said the level of abuse of the emergency lines had become worrying. He revealed that between January 2025 and April 2026, the Command and Control Centre received 24.15 million calls, out of which 16.39 million were identified as fake or unnecessary. According to him, many people call simply to check if the lines are working, even though such actions can delay urgent responses and put lives at risk.
Oyerinde explained that emergency operators often find it difficult to quickly separate genuine distress calls from prank calls, especially during critical situations like fires, accidents and medical emergencies. He appealed to parents, schools and community leaders to educate young people on the importance of using emergency lines responsibly, stressing that emergency communication should be treated as a serious public safety issue.
Also speaking, Femi Kennedy-Giwa said operators sometimes receive repeated prank calls from the same phone numbers, making their work more difficult. He noted that such behaviour not only affects efficiency but also reduces public confidence in the emergency response system. He, however, assured residents that awareness campaigns would continue across the state to educate the public.
The commissioner further disclosed that fire outbreaks remained the most common emergencies recorded in 2025, with 1,685 fire incidents out of 1,972 genuine emergencies reported. He said emergency responders were able to save properties worth N118.32 billion, although losses valued at N19.72 billion were still recorded. According to him, 1,924 people were rescued alive during various operations, while March had the highest number of emergencies due to dry weather conditions.
Oyerinde added that Alimosho recorded the highest number of emergency incidents, followed by Eti-Osa and Ikeja. He also revealed that the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency handled over 1,100 emergencies, while ambulance teams responded to 1,382 medical cases. To improve emergency response across the state, the government has procured 62 firefighting vehicles and completed new fire stations in Ebute-Elefun and Ijegun-Egba, with more projects currently ongoing in Oworonshoki, Yaba and Ikotun.
Elijah Adeyemi
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