Nigerian refugee seeker Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi was laid to rest on Sunday, July 10, in a funeral service attended by hundreds of mourners. His widow, Chinyere, dressed entirely in white, fainted twice during the ceremony and had to be carried out of the Fermo cathedral. Nigerian friends also rushed to support her after she collapsed near his rose-topped coffin.

"He came to live in peace, he found death", read one of the many messages left with flowers for Emmanuel.

The 36-year-old was killed by a right-wing football fan in a racist attack. The suspect Amedeo Mancini punched Emmanuel during a fight in the town on Tuesday which broke out after Mancini called his wife Chinyere an "African monkey". Nnamdi and Chinyere had fled Nigeria last year after an attack on a church by Boko Haram in which their two-year-old son and other members of their families were killed.

Mancini, 39, who was arrested, admitted to police that he had insulted the woman, but said he believed the pair had been about to steal a car, and only assaulted Nnamdi after the latter hit him first with a road sign. He also defended his use of the term "monkey", saying it was not racist but simply an expression commonly used at the football stadium.

The funeral was also attended by parliamentary relations minister Maria Elena Boschi and the president of the lower house of parliament, Laura Boldrini.


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