A Nigerian based in Italy, Alika Ogorchukwu, has been beaten to death in the Civitanova Marche city of the European country.

Ogorchukwu, a 39-year-old physically challenged vendor who was married with two children, was attacked on Friday at his stall by a 32-year-old man identified as Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo.

The Nigerian was said to have been selling goods on the main street of Civitanova Marche, a beach town on the Adriatic Sea, when his attacker grabbed the vendor’s crutch and struck him down.

According to Al Jazeera, the incident has elicited outrage in Italy as the country enters a parliamentary election campaign in which the right-wing coalition has already made immigration an issue.

Police have also arrested the attacker.

READ ALSO: NEMA receives 175 stranded Nigerians from Libya

The assailant was being held on suspicion of murder and theft for allegedly taking the victim’s phone.

“The aggressor went after the victim, first hitting him with a crutch. He made him fall to the ground, then he finished, causing the death, striking repeatedly with his bare hands,” police investigator, Matteo Luconi, said.

The police investigator further disclosed that onlookers called police, who responded after the suspect had fled and attempted to administer aid to the victim.

Luconi said the assailant lashed out after the vendor made “insistent” requests for pocket change, adding that police were questioning witnesses and viewing videos of the attack.

He further stated that the suspect has made no statement.

Ogorchukwu was said to have resorted to selling goods on the street after he was struck by a car and lost his job as a labourer due to his injuries.

The Star