The wife of Alika Ogorchukwu, the Nigerian street vendor killed in Italy over the weekend, is demanding justice.
Ogorchukwu, 39, was selling goods on the main street of Civitanova Marce, a coastal city on the Adriatic Sea in the center of the country.
On Friday, he ran into his attacker, who took the crutch he was carrying and beat him to death, according to police.
The victim’s wife, Charity Oriachi, demanded justice in an interview on Sunday.
“I need justice for my husband. That is what I want, because the pain is very great for me. I need justice,” she said.
The death of the Nigerian has caused a great commotion in Italy, especially due to the fact that no one came out to defend the victim and several people videotaped the attack in the heart of the city.
The facts
The footage shows a white man grappling with Ogorchukwu.
The attacker forcefully presses the Nigerian to the ground, who tries in vain to fight for his life.
Police arrested a 32-year-old Italian man on suspicion of murder and robbery, as he allegedly stole the Nigerian’s cell phone after the fight.
In a press conference, the police announced that the investigation is still open without currently having elements that point to a crime for racist reasons, but that the situation would have been triggered after an interaction between the two on the street.
This would have asked his aggressor for money who, after refusing it, beat him to death, according to the first hypothesis put forward by the authorities.
The alleged attacker alleged that the fight arose because the victim “insistently asked for alms” and grabbed his girlfriend’s arm, who was with him at the time and who has testified as a witness, the Efe news agency reported.
call for justice
The video of the attack, which went viral on news portals and social networks in Italy, has shocked the community, where many have criticized the “indifferent” attitude of the witnesses.
Alika Ogorchukwu was the father of two children.
His wife could not hold back her tears as she recounted how the victim’s body was shown to her on the ground.
According to information collected by the BBC, Ogorchukwu began selling items on the street after suffering a car accident and losing his job due to injuries to his legs.
On Saturday hundreds of people from the local Nigerian community took to the streets of Civitanova Marche to demand justice.
Italian politicians of all persuasions have condemned the attack.
Enrico Letta, the leader of the leftist Democratic Party, called what happened “shocking.”
“Unheard of ferocity. General indifference. There can be no justification,” he wrote on Twitter.
Right-wing leader Matteo Salvini declared that “security has no color” and “needs to come back as a human right.”
What does the Nigerian government say?
Nigeria’s ambassador to Italy, Mfawa Omini Abam, condemned the attack and sent messages of condolences to Ogorchukwu’s wife and the rest of his family.
The embassy said it is working with Italian authorities to ensure justice is done and also to provide help to Ogorchukwu’s family.
The ambassador advised members of the Nigerian community in the European country to remain calm and avoid taking justice into their own hands.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-62385207, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-08-01 18:00:06
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