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The short answer
Emergency short codes are meant for local lines in Nigeria, so the call is best made by someone on the spot: in Lagos, the state's toll-free lines 767 and 112 reach the Command and Control Centre, which mobilises agencies including the Lagos State Ambulance Service. Your job from abroad is to confirm the receiving hospital, agree any private ambulance price before it moves, and pay the operator or hospital's own account against an invoice.
The call usually comes at night: a parent has collapsed, a sibling is on the phone, and you are seven hours and several thousand miles away. In that moment the useful things you can do are narrow but real. You can make sure the right number is being called, help choose between a public and a private ambulance, phone ahead to the hospital, and move money quickly to the right account. This guide sets out each step and what to put in place before you ever need it.
The first call: who dials, and which number
Nigerian emergency short codes are meant to be dialled from local lines inside the country, so the person with your relative should make the call, not you. In Lagos, the state government reminded residents in February 2026 that 767 and 112 are dedicated toll-free emergency lines. Femi Kennedy Giwa, general manager of the Lagos State Command and Control Centre, said calls reach trained call agents who mobilise response agencies, naming the Lagos State Ambulance Service alongside the fire service, LASEMA, the Rapid Response Squad and LASTMA.
Outside Lagos, emergency arrangements differ from state to state. Ask the family to check the number their state government publishes, and keep that number saved in your own phone and theirs before an emergency happens. While they are on the line, your role is to stay on a second phone with another relative, gathering the facts the dispatcher and hospital will ask for: the patient's age, what happened, any known conditions, current medicines and the exact address with a landmark.
Public, hospital or private ambulance
There are usually three ways to move a patient, and the right one depends on the city, the time of day and how far the nearest emergency unit is.
| Option | How it is arranged | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| State ambulance | Called through the state emergency line, such as 767 or 112 in Lagos | Expected arrival time and which hospital it will take the patient to |
| Hospital's own ambulance | Called directly from the hospital's emergency desk | Whether the hospital will admit on arrival and any charge for the trip |
| Private ambulance operator | Booked by phone with a company | Crew (paramedic or driver only), oxygen and equipment on board, total price before departure |
| Private car or taxi | Family drives the patient | Only where an ambulance would clearly take longer and the patient can be moved safely |
If a private operator is used, ask three questions before the vehicle moves: the full price including any waiting time, the destination hospital and whether it has been told the patient is coming, and the name of the company that will invoice. A trip agreed by phone with an individual driver, with no company name, is the hardest to dispute later.
Phoning ahead to the hospital
From abroad you are often better placed than the family to call ahead, because you are not also lifting the patient. Ask the emergency unit whether it can receive the patient now, what it will need on arrival, and whether it asks for a deposit. Nigeria has rules on emergency treatment without a deposit, covered in our guide to hospital deposits and emergency treatment.
If your parent is enrolled in a health insurance scheme, have the enrolment number and the HMO's phone line ready. The National Health Insurance Authority's 2024 complaints report, as reported by ICIR in June 2025, listed out-of-pocket charges for covered services and delays in HMO referral authorisation codes among the problems it sanctioned facilities and HMOs for. So call the HMO early, ask for the authorisation code, and note who you spoke to.
Paying for it from abroad
Speed matters, but so does paying the right party. Fraudsters know that families abroad pay fast in an emergency, and a common pattern is a stranger calling to say a relative has been taken to hospital and money is needed now. Our guide to verifying an urgent money request covers the checks.
- Pay the hospital or ambulance company's own account, in the business name, not a staff member's personal account.
- Ask for an invoice or a bill by WhatsApp or email before you pay, and a receipt afterwards.
- Confirm the account name the bank shows matches the business before you approve the transfer.
- Send the payment reference to the relative at the hospital so they can show it at the desk.
- Keep every receipt together; families often split emergency costs later and records settle arguments.
Worked example
An example only, with illustrative figures rather than quotes. A private operator in your parents' city agrees ₦90,000 for a transfer to a private hospital. The hospital asks the family for ₦400,000 towards admission. You hold ₦300,000 in naira and your sister in Canada sends ₦190,000. Together that is ₦490,000, which covers both bills (₦90,000 + ₦400,000 = ₦490,000). You pay the operator's company account against its invoice and the hospital's account against its bill, and both receipts go into a shared family folder.
What to set up before an emergency
- Save the state emergency number in your phone and in every relative's phone at home.
- Find the nearest hospital with a 24-hour emergency unit, and a second option, and save their desk numbers.
- Get the number of at least one private ambulance operator in the city and ask how it invoices.
- Keep your parent's health insurance card details, blood group and medicine list in a shared note.
- Agree one local person who will travel with the patient and one person abroad who handles payment.
- Hold a small naira balance you can send at once, so you are not waiting on a currency transfer at 2am.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme account holds naira alongside dollars, pounds and euros, so you can keep an emergency balance in naira and pay a Nigerian hospital or ambulance company directly from abroad with Send. If you need to convert, Swap shows the rate and the fee before you approve. Naira deposits are held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank. You can also generate a verifiable receipt of each payment to share with siblings who are splitting the cost.
Questions people ask
Can I call 112 in Nigeria from abroad for my mother?
Emergency short codes are meant for local lines in Nigeria. Ask someone with your relative, or a neighbour, to dial the state's emergency line, while you handle the hospital and payment from abroad.
Is 767 the Lagos ambulance number?
The Lagos State government describes 767 and 112 as toll-free emergency lines answered by the Command and Control Centre, which mobilises agencies including the Lagos State Ambulance Service.
How much does a private ambulance cost in Nigeria?
Prices vary by city, distance, crew and equipment, and there is no official tariff. Ask the operator for the full price, including waiting time, before the vehicle moves, and get it in writing.
Should I pay the ambulance driver directly?
Pay the company or hospital's own business account against an invoice, not a personal account, and ask for a receipt. This protects you if the trip is disputed and from people posing as hospital staff.
Sources
- Lagos govt urges residents to use emergency lines 767, 112 · accessed Oct 2026
- Service failure: NHIA sanctions 49 health facilities, 47 HMOs (ICIR) · accessed Oct 2026
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