The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described as disheartening the killing of yet another Nigerian, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, in Italy.

In a statement by her Special Assistant on Media Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the SSA condemned in totality the murder of an asylum seeker, by an Italian football hooligan, who reacted to racial insults against his partner.

Dabiri-Erewa said the painful killings and gruesome murder of innocent Nigerians by other nationals in their homeland was disturbing and depressing to the people and government of Nigeria.

“This is disturbing, coming barely few days after another Nigerian teenager, Fola Orebiyi, was stabbed to death in London. This is totally unacceptable,” she said.

“Even though the culprit had been arrested by the Italian authorities, a thorough investigation should be carried out on why innocent Nigerians were subject of attacks by their host countries,” she added.

Dabiri-Erewa commiserated with the family of Nnamdi, particularly, the fiancée, who witnessed the brutal killing of her lover, and assured them that Nigeria would monitor the dispensation of justice on the matter.

She reiterated President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to citizen’s diplomacy and protection of Nigerians wherever they may be.

It was reported that an Italian football hooligan, Amedeo Mancini, has been arrested and charged with murder after beating to death a Nigerian asylum seeker, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, 36, who reacted to racial insults against his partner,.

Nnamdi allegedly got into a fight on Tuesday after the man called his 24-year-old girlfriend, Chinyere, a “monkey.”

He 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 is a supporter of 4th league team Fermana and had been banned from the local stadium because of his violent behavior.

The incident led Interior Minister Angelino Alfano to travel to Fermo to chair a meeting with 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 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.

•Photo shows Dabiri-Erewa.

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