Italian arrested for killing Nigerian, to face murder charges

An Italian football hooligan has been arrested
and charged with murder after beating to
death a Nigerian asylum seeker who reacted
to racial insults against his partner, ANSA
news agency reported on Thursday.
According to the La Repubblica newspaper,
Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, 36, got into a fight
on Tuesday after the man called his 24-year-
old girlfriend, Chinyere, a "monkey".
Nnamdi was taken to hospital in a comatose
state and declared dead on Wednesday in the
central Italian town of Fermo, some 170
kilometres north-east of Rome, near the
Adriatic coast.
The accused, Amedeo Mancini, is a supporter
of 4th league team, Fermana, and had been
banned from the local stadium because of his
violent behaviour, ANSA said.
The incident led Interior Minister, Angelino
Alfano, to travel to Fermo to chair a meeting
with the local police.
Alfano said it was a "day of infinite sadness",
while Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on
Twitter: "Against hatred, racism and violence."
Comunita di Capodarco, the Catholic charity
that was giving shelter to the couple, issued a
statement giving a version provided by
Chinyere.
She said the man put his hands on her,
triggering Nnamdi's reaction.
"A fight broke out, a street sign was pulled
from the pavement, there were heavy blows
and one, probably fatal, hit the young Nigerian
on the back of the neck. Once on the floor ...
the young man was hit repeatedly," the
Comunita said.
The couple left Nigeria to flee from the
Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, their
hosts said.
Chinyere travelled while pregnant, but fell ill
during the sea crossing to Sicily and lost her
baby, probably as a result of beatings suffered
in Libya, they added.
Father Vinicio Albanesi, who leads the
community that sheltered the couple, said the
people who attacked the asylum seekers were
the same who earlier this year planted bombs
in front of four Catholic churches in Fermo.
The explosives did not go off.
"There are small group of people who clearly
think they belong to the Aryan race," Albanesi
said, as quoted by Comunita di Capodarco.
"They belong to local football fan groups and I
think it is the same clique who has put bombs
in front of our churches."
dpa/NAN.