Alika Ogorchukwu: Italian man sentenced to 24-year imprisonment for beating a Nigerian man to death

A 33-year-old Italian citizen, Filippo Ferlazzo, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the fatal beating of a Nigerian man, Alika Ogorchukwu, in Italy.

The court of Assizes of Macerata handed down the sentence on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, convicting Ferlazzo, who hailed from Salerno near Naples, for the aggravated voluntary murder of the 39-year-old Nigerian street hawker, who was physically disabled.

Recalling the incident on July 29, 2022, Ogorchukwu was brutally assaulted while hawking on the streets of Civitanova Marche, situated in the Province of Macerata, March Region of Italy.

Using the crutches that the deceased used to walk, the assailant beat Ogorchukwu to death and proceeded to straddle him, inflicting fatal injuries to his neck and head. Shockingly, this horrifying act occurred in the presence of numerous onlookers who did not intervene, some of whom recorded videos of the attack on their phones.

Filippo Ferlazzo was apprehended on murder charges by the Italian authorities on July 30, 2022. The Italian Police believed that Ferlazzo assaulted Ogorchukwu after the latter had requested Ferlazzo’s girlfriend to buy a handkerchief.

Following the incident, two protest marches were organized in a town on Italy’s Adriatic coast, a few days later, to demand justice for the Nigerian victim, whose tragic death garnered global attention.

“I am glad that this case finally got justice. Like I always say, there has to be consequences for actions,” Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa said in a statement issued by NiDCOM spokesperson, Gabriel Odu on Thursday, September 28. 

She urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to remain law-abiding, excel in what they do and never forget home by giving back to their homeland.