Photo Courtesy Of Alika Ogorchukwu/ Facebook and NZ Herald
On July 29, a Nigerian street vendor named Alika Ogorchukwu was beaten to death in Italy as bystanders stood around doing nothing.
According to CNN, police said Ogorchukwu was chased, hit with his own crutch, and beaten “to death with bare hands” by an attacker, identified as Filippo Ferlazzo. Ferlazzo brutally attacked the Nigerian man and stole his phone in broad daylight as he was selling goods on the streets of Civitanova Marche.
“The aggressor went after the victim, first hitting him with a crutch,” police investigator Matteo Luconi said during a press conference. “He made him fall to the ground, then he finished, causing the death, striking repeatedly with his bare hands.”
One of the bystanders reportedly captured video footage of the July 29 incident, but no one was seen trying to help Ogorchukwu. In it, the attacker was seen wrestling him to the ground and brutally beating the disabled man. He seemed to struggle as he was bound to crutches after being run over by a car while riding his bicycle in 2021.
A statement released by Macerata police indicated that when paramedics arrived at the scene, Ogorchukwu was found dead. Ferlazzo, on the other hand, was arrested for murder and robbery.
Although Luconi said the cruel beating wasn’t “racially motivated,” many Italian residents have suspected otherwise. As such, the 39-year-old man’s killing has sparked outrage nationwide.
Ogorchukwu was reportedly married with two children and had been in Italy for approximately nine years with a regular residence permit. He began working as a street vendor after his nasty accident, which caused him to lose his job.
“Italy, don’t leave me alone,” his now-widow Charity Oriachi told reporters in regards to seeking justice for her husband.
Civitanova Marche’s Mayor Fabrizio Ciarapica announced that the municipality would pay for Ogorchukwu’s funeral expenses. A fundraiser was also created to assist Oriachi and their eight-year-old son.