Physically challenged Nigerian, Alika Ogorchukwu, beaten to death in Italy
Alika Ogorchukwu, a Nigerian, has been beaten to death in Civitanova Marche city in the Province of Macerata, Marche region of Italy.
According to Al Jazeera, the 39-year-old physically challenged vendor was attacked at his stall by a “32-year-old from Salerno” on Friday.
The assailant grabbed the vendor’s crutch and struck him down. He wrestled the supine victim in broad daylight with several surveillance cameras recording.
Matteo Luconi, the police investigator, said the attacker repeatedly struck the Nigerian with his bare hands, causing his death.
“The aggressor went after the victim, first hitting him with a crutch. He made him fall to the ground, then he finished, causing the death, striking repeatedly with his bare hands,” he said.
The police have arrested a man identified as Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo, based on the camera footage.
He was apprehended on suspicion of murder and theft of the victim’s phone.
Daniel Amanza, head of the association for immigrants in the Marche region’s Macerata province (ACSIM), said Ogorchukwu — who was married with two children — resorted to selling goods on the street after he was struck by a car and lost his job as a labourer due to his injuries.
Nigerian Embassy in Rome said it is currently collaborating with relevant Italian authorities to ensure justice and to provide succour to the deceased’s family.
The murder of the Nigerian has kindled a wave of protests and outbursts across Italy.