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.
Magistrate Bambo Odueke committed him to a month imprisonment with an option of a fine and a month of community service that includes 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 sentence of the law on him after the defendant showed remorse and wasted no time of the court by pleading guilty to breaching the public peace and making hoax Fire emergency call.
The ruling also follows the court’s acknowledgement of the noble firefighting profession and the effective service delivery of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service that required the encouragement of all and sundry.
The Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye expressed her delight at the swift prosecution of the case to serve as a deterrent to other misguided citizens who are in the habit of making false calls and misleading emergency responders.
Adeseye also used the occasion to note the seemingly reduction in false calls since the advent of the case and pledged to work with the culprit in using his community service as another medium to reach a large audience among other efforts being champion by the Agency.
Recall the culprit had reportedly placed a call on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 17:35 hours to Harmony Estate, Langbasa, Ajah, Lagos and reported a Fire emergency within the estate leading to the dispatch of the Lekki Phase II fire Service Station. On arrival of the Fire crew at the estate, every efforts to trace the acclaimed Fire outbreak proved abortive.
He however first appeared in court penultimate Wednesday, April 19 which was adjourned till today for the conclusion of the matter in record time to ensure that justice is not denied.
Agboola Ololade
Deputy Director, Public Affairs,
Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service
April 28, 2023.
