Denmark paying for prosthetic leg of pirate shot by its navy

Nigerian seaman granted asylum in a move criticised for making a mockery of EU country’s migration and security policy

A Nigerian pirate who lost his leg in a shoot-out with Denmark’s navy will have his new prosthesis funded by the taxpayer as part of a special residential deal granted by the government.
Lucky Frances, who lost a gunfight with the Danish navy in 2021, will receive an education plan, guidance on employment and an “integration contract” to ensure that he becomes a productive member of society.
The Right-wing Danish People’s Party (DF) said the decision mocked the country’s migration and security policy.
Mikkel Bjorn, the DF’s integration spokesman, said: “This is absolutely absurd. That man should never have been in Denmark and to imagine that he can now be meaningfully integrated in Denmark is completely beyond the pale.”
Frances’ run-in with the navy has gripped Denmark since 2021 when he was severely wounded in a firefight with the Danish frigate Esbern Snare in the Gulf of Guinea.
Four of his fellow pirates were killed in the confrontation, but Frances himself received medical treatment, including the amputation of his bullet-riddled leg. Three other survivors were set free by the Danish navy.
As a result of his severe injuries, Frances was brought back to Denmark, where he recovered before being found guilty of endangering Danish lives. Nonetheless, he was spared jail and later claimed asylum in Denmark.
His application sparked a lengthy and complex government process that culminated in him receiving a residence permit and an integration plan.
This includes a language programme, so that Frances can become fluent in Danish, as well as assistance in finding a job as an amputee, BT, a local news outlet, reported.
Frances must also sign an “integration contract” that “contains a number of set goals that Lucky must meet in order to be integrated and otherwise continue to receive his self-support and repatriation benefits”, the news outlet reported. He will also receive an allowance for his new leg.
Frances’s case is so far estimated to have cost the public 4.2 million Danish kroner (£300,000) in addition to his medical bills, according to DR, another local media outlet.
The former pirate said in 2023 that he initially wanted to recover in Denmark before returning to Nigeria, but later changed his mind and applied for asylum despite his daughter’s hesitations.
“Going back to Africa will not be good for me,” he said. “I have thought about my situation. I have also spoken to my family and explained to them about my physical condition. They are okay with me applying for asylum, even if my daughter is not completely satisfied.”
“This shows that [famous Danish comedy writer] Erik Balling’s Denmark is alive and well. It looks like a satirical side story in an Olsen Banden film,” Steffen Larsen, a spokesman for Denmark’s Liberal Alliance, said.
“After we have shot the man’s leg off in battle, we must then send him on a work trial and teach him Danish. Good luck with that.”