Headlines
Nigerian amputee pirate faces 8 years in Danish jail as Denmark arraigns him over Gulf of Guinea attack

A suspected Nigerian pirate arrested by the Danish Navy in November 2021 after shooting off the coast of Nigeria has been charged in Denmark with endangering the lives of Danish soldiers, the prosecution announced Monday, May, 9th, 2022.
”We have carried out a thorough assessment of the elements of the investigation and on this basis, we believe that this 39-year-old man should be charged with endangering the life and the physical integrity of Danish soldiers”, explained, Per Fiig, the prosecutor in charge of that case.
The unnamed Nigerian, who had lost a leg in the exchange of fire with the Danish Navy soldiers, faces right years in prison if convicted.
At the end of November 2021, a total of four suspected pirates had been arrested during the clash which took place during an anti-piracy mission by the Danish Frigate in the international waters of the Gulf of Guinea.
The man charged on Monday was seriously injured during the clash and had to be amputated at a Ghanian hospital where he was flown to before being repatriated to Denmark in early January.
Three other men who remained on board the Frigate had since been released as a result of the terms of their possible transfer to Denmark constituting a legal imbroglio.
Denmark has never transferred pirates to its soil and does not have an extradition agreement with neighboring countries.
During the incident in November 2021, four other suspected pirates were killed and the ninth pirate was thought to have fallen overboard, according to Danish authorities.
A black spot for shipowners, the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches 5700km from Senegal to Angola, recorded 52 pirate attacks in 2021, compared to 115 for the previous year, according to the Maritime Information Cooperation Center.
The drastic reduction in the pirate attacks in the region has been attributed to the comprehensive and coordinated anti pirate efforts of the regional government and agencies which were led and coordinated by Nigeria.
The Danish frigate Esbern Snare has cut short its one-month anti-piracy mission in February to return to Europe to complement the forces made available to NATO by Copenhagen because of the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.
Economy
Buhari, Jonathan, Obasanjo, Babangida, Abdusalami, Osinbajo, Atiku, others to spend N13.8billon from N27.5 trillion 2024 budget

The Eyewitness Reporter
The Federal government has earmarked the sum of N13.8 billion in the 2024 budget as the cost of upkeep of
former presidents, vice presidents, heads of state, Chiefs of General Staff, retired heads of service, permanent secretaries, and retired heads of government agencies and parastatals.
The beneficiaries include former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, ex-vice-presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo and Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Also expected to benefit from the windfall are ex-military Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon and General Abdusalami Abubakar, as well as a former dictator and self-styled military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, and a former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (retd.).
Also, N1tn was provisioned for the public service wage adjustment for government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (including arrears of promotion and salary increases, and payment of severance benefits and minimum wage-related adjustments).
A breakdown shows that the entitlements of former presidents/heads of state and vice presidents/chief of general staff will cost N2.3bn. At the same time, N10.5bn is proposed as benefits for retired heads of service, permanent secretaries and professors.
The payment of severance benefits to retired heads of government agencies and parastatals is proposed to cost N1bn.
Other allocations include N65bn for the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the reintegration of transformed ex-militants; N1bn for the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Energy; and N108bn for unnamed special projects.
The government is also proposing the sum of N40bn to offset electricity debts owed to power distribution companies by all MDAs.
President Bola Tinubu unveiled the N27.5 trillion budget estimates for the 2024 fiscal year.
The budget was presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, where it is currently undergoing scrutiny and deliberation for final approval.
In his presentation, he declared, “The 2024 Appropriation has been themed the Budget of Renewed Hope.
The proposed budget seeks to achieve job-rich economic growth, macro-economic stability, a better investment environment, enhanced human capital development, as well as poverty reduction and greater access to social security.
Customs
News Alert: Wale Adeniyi revives CG conference, holds 2023 edition December 13-15 in Lagos.

Headlines
Ukraine blocks Russia’s reelection bid at IMO council elections

The outcome is another blow for Russia after it failed in its bid to return to the UN’s top human rights body in October, in an election seen as a key test of Western efforts to keep Moscow isolated.
Last year, Moscow also failed to win enough votes for re-election to the UN aviation agency’s governing council.
The London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) is responsible for regulating the safety and security of international shipping and preventing pollution and comprises 175 member state countries.
Russia has been a member since 1958 and has been consistently re-elected to the IMO Council.
With voting on Friday, 40 countries were elected by secret ballot to the IMO Council, which supervises the work of the body.
In October, Russia said the IMO was departing from its impartial role due to “external pressure” which it said was impacting the fair treatment of all member countries.
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