Stop making fake emergency calls, Lagos state government tells residents

• Lagos State says over 16 million emergency calls received since January 2025 were prank or non-emergency calls.

• Officials warned that fake calls are delaying response times and putting lives at risk.

• The state says it is expanding emergency infrastructure while increasing public awareness campaigns.

Officials made the disclosure on Monday in Ikeja at a ministerial briefing convened to mark seven years of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's administration, where the scale of the problem was laid bare for the first time in figures.

Commissioner for Special Duties Olugbenga Oyerinde told journalists that of the roughly 24 million calls received by the state's Command and Control Centre between January 2025 and April 2026, more than two-thirds (about 16 million) were either pranks or served no emergency purpose whatsoever. The commissioner called the numbers deeply troubling.

"It is disturbing that people call simply to test whether our lines work," he said. "Our lines work, but every wasted minute can cost lives."

Oyerinde stressed that the burden falls hardest on frontline operators who must sift through high volumes of irrelevant calls to find those that are genuine, often against the clock. He called on parents, educators and community leaders to take a more active role in teaching responsible use of emergency services.

The Command and Control Centre's General Manager, Femi Kennedy-Giwa, said some numbers had been flagged for making repeated prank calls, and that the pattern erodes both operational efficiency and public trust in emergency services. Awareness campaigns, he said, would be stepped up across the state.

Beyond the fake call crisis, officials used the briefing to outline the state's emergency response record for 2025. Fire incidents dominated, accounting for the vast majority of the roughly 1,972 genuine emergencies recorded during the year. 

Response teams rescued close to 2,000 people and recovered properties worth over N118 billion, though losses running into nearly N20 billion were also recorded. Medical response teams attended to over a thousand cases, while road and heavy vehicle accidents made up a significant share of callouts.

Among local government areas, Alimosho generated the heaviest emergency load, with Eti-Osa and Ikeja following behind. Dry conditions in March drove a spike in incidents, while August saw the quietest period of the year.

On preparedness, Oyerinde said dozens of new firefighting vehicles had been added to the state's fleet, with new fire stations commissioned in two locations and several others currently under construction.

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