By Promise Eze
On Thursday, a teenager named Uzuokwu Solomon was convicted of two counts at the Samuel Ilori Magistrate Court in Lagos.
Magistrate Bambo Odueke of the Magistrate Court in the Ogba area of Ikeja passed a sentence of one month imprisonment or a fine and one month of community service.
The punishment also includes campaigning against false calls within the state’s jurisdiction. However, Solomon opted to pay a fine.
The defendant pleaded guilty to breaching public peace and making a hoax fire emergency call, which led to the swift prosecution of the case. The Magistrate passed the minimum verdict of the law after the defendant showed remorse and did not waste the time of the court.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service Director, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, expressed satisfaction with the swift prosecution of the case, which would serve as a deterrent to other citizens who make false calls and mislead emergency responders.
She also noted the reduction in false calls since the advent of the case and pledged to work with the culprit to use his community service as another medium to reach a large audience.
The incident occurred on April 14, 2023, when the culprit reported a fire emergency within Harmony Estate, Langbasa, Ajah, Lagos. The Lekki Phase II Fire Service Station was dispatched, but all efforts to trace the fire outbreak were unsuccessful.
The case was concluded in record time to ensure that justice was not denied, and Solomon was duly punished for his actions.
