Emmanuel Chidi Namdi was murdered in Italy when a far-right football ultra attacked him after first insulting his wife. He was beaten and left in an irreversible coma before dying on Wednesday. The incident happened in the coastal town of Fermo.
 
Both Emmanuel Chidi Namdi and his wife, Chinyery, fled to Italy last year after surviving a violent attack on a church in Nigeria by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, in which members of their family were killed. Chinyery had also suffered a miscarriage as they travelled to Italy across the Mediterranean.
 
On Thursday a local man, Amedeo Mancini, 38, was arrested on suspicion of Mr. Namdi's murder.
 
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi condemned the murder on Thursday, tweeting that the government stands with the town in memory of Mr. Namdi and is “against, hatred, racism and violence”. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, travelled to Fermo to attend a public security committee meeting in the town.

 
Immigration has been a divisive issue in Fermo. Local churches that have made a point of welcoming migrants have been the target of four bomb attacks in recent months. While they caused little damage and no injuries, tension remains high in the community of 40.000. Mr. Namdi and his wife were also being supported by the Catholic Church.
 
“Emmanuel was always smiling, full of enthusiasm and with plans for the future,” said local priest, Father Vinicio Albanesi, who knew the couple well, in an interview with the Italian daily, La Repubblica. “He was dreaming of a job, a house and above all a visa to remain in Italy.”
 
“As mayor of a town that is welcoming and open to integration, I feel I'm living in a nightmare” the town's mayor, Paolo Calcinaro, said in a statement.

Matteo Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant far right Northern League, said Mr. Namdi death was a sign that illegal immigration was “out of control” in Italy, even though supposedly condemning the action.
 
“It is increasingly evident that illegal immigration is out of control, actually [it's an] organised invasion, and will produce nothing good” Mr Salvini wrote on his Facebook page.
 
Meanwhile, over 4.500 people have been rescued in 30 different operations led by the Italian Coast Guard in the last 24-hours. However, according to the International Organization for Migration arrivals are down from the same period of 2015 -an estimated 67.000- but the number of deaths on the perilous route has recently jumped.
 
On the political front the European Parliament has approved a proposal to set up a new border and coast guard agency to help countries cope with unusually high levels of migration.