LAGOS/Nigeria: The Lagos State Command and Control Centre (LSCCC) coordinated responses to 12,483 emergency incidents between January and December 2025, underscoring the scale of safety and public health challenges confronting Nigeria’s commercial capital.
The General Manager of the centre, Mr. Femi Giwa, disclosed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, noting that the incidents were managed through the state’s toll-free emergency lines, 767 and 112.
According to Giwa, accident-related emergencies topped the chart with 2,504 cases recorded within the period. Medical emergencies followed closely with 2,397 cases, while fire incidents, including vehicle fires, accounted for 2,165 calls.
He said the centre also responded to 799 civil disturbance cases and 598 traffic congestion-related incidents. Robbery-related emergencies stood at 445, while infrastructure-related cases, such as electric pole sparks and pipeline vandalism, totalled 362.
The centre further recorded 57 building collapse incidents, 388 cases involving violence and rape, and 54 domestic violence situations within the year under review.
A breakdown by local government areas showed Alimosho recorded the highest number of emergency incidents at 1,697. Eti-Osa followed with 1,444, while Ikeja ranked third with 1,282 cases.
“Oshodi-Isolo recorded 1,012 incidents, Kosofe 987, Ikorodu 786, Surulere 663 and Lagos Island 562. Ibeju-Lekki had 528 cases, Amuwo-Odofin 527, Lagos Mainland 512, Agege 429 and Mushin 379. Ojo recorded 340 incidents, Shomolu 326 and Ifako-Ijaiye 296,” Giwa said.
He added that Badagry recorded 267 incidents, Apapa 204, Epe 182, while Ajeromi-Ifelodun had the lowest figure with 153 cases.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in Ogun State have called for stronger collaboration, improved investigative processes and trauma-informed support systems to address sexual violence and enhance justice delivery.
The call was made at a stakeholders’ dialogue on sexual and gender-based violence organised by the Headfort Foundation for Justice, with the theme: “Strengthening Laws, Policies and Institutional Coordination to Improve Justice Delivery in Sexual Violence Cases.”
Participants agreed that the major challenge was not the absence of laws but gaps in implementation, limited institutional capacity and low public awareness. They noted the existence of a sexual offenders’ register at the High Court and urged periodic review of relevant laws to ensure balance and effectiveness.
In her remarks, the Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, advocated survivor-centred jurisprudence and stronger judicial leadership in tackling sexual violence. She cited Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and the Ogun State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017, as robust legal frameworks that must be effectively implemented.
Dipeolu observed that implementation gaps, adversarial evidential culture and institutional silos continue to impede justice delivery. She called for stricter management of cross-examination, adoption of virtual court proceedings, use of video links and trained intermediaries to protect vulnerable witnesses, alongside coordinated protocols linking police, prosecutors, medical professionals and the courts.
A survivor, whose identity was withheld, shared her experience of rape and early pregnancy, highlighting the long-term trauma victims endure.
SP Bumi Asogbon attributed under-reporting of cases to compromised medical evidence, family pressure and fear of stigma, stressing that improved investigations would strengthen convictions and reduce reliance on confessional statements.
The Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs disclosed that Sexual Assault Referral Centres had increased from one to four across the state since 2014, adding that the average turnaround time for Director of Public Prosecutions’ advice had reduced to two months.
Mrs. Oluyemi Orija, Executive Director of the Headfort Foundation for Justice, said the organisation had provided free legal aid since 2019, benefiting over 1,000 inmates, while its outreach programmes continued to educate communities on human rights.
She added that the foundation’s “My Rights, My Freedom” project, launched in 2024, sensitises girls aged 10 to 23 on reporting procedures, noting that the initiative was designed to address low prosecution and conviction rates despite high reporting of sexual violence cases.
Participants at the dialogue ultimately called for stronger inter-agency coordination, effective enforcement of existing laws and sustained victim support mechanisms to combat sexual violence and restore public confidence in the justice system.
