Nigerian immigrants wage Gang wars in Italy; leave civilians terrified

Rome: After the cities of Brescia, Turin, Palermo and Castel Volturno, Ferrara is the next city in Italy, hit by gang wars of Nigerian immigrants. Last week, in the clashes between the Nigerian gangs that continued for 4 days in the city of Ferrara, three people died and more than a dozen were injured. The local population is also terrorised because of these Nigerians moving around with axes, knives and guns.

The immigrants who have entered Italy over the last few years have formed small gangs and these gangs clash over various reasons. The main point of contention is gaining domination over the two major illegal trades of drugs and prostitution. Tremendous tension was created in the north eastern Italian province of Giardino Arianuova Doro because of one such conflict.

The locals informed a news agency that the gang war in the Ferrara city of this region continued for four successive days. While talking to a daily, some locals claimed that the city of Ferrara felt like a war zone because of the gang war. The skirmishes of the Nigerian gangs have been occurring in the city of Ferrara since the past few months. In the month of June, there was an open conflict between two gangs in broad daylight. The Italian agencies had acted against the gangs and detained a few. But the locals expressed fear that the last week’s gang war was even more horrifying.

Last week, the Nigerian gangs clashed at three different locations in Ferrara. Five people were grievously hurt during the clashes and one of them is in coma, informed the local agencies. Again, on Tuesday and Wednesday two gangs clashed in the local public park with choppers, axes and guns. It is claimed that a few people were injured in these clashes too. The information that the Nigerian immigrants move around the city armed with choppers and guns and even reporters do not move around in the city without a security cover has come forth.

Italian criminologist Alessandro Meluzzi has expressed concern over this intensifying gang wars and warned that the Nigerian gangs are trying to make Italy their colony. ‘Nigerian mafia are the world’s most ruthless gangs and now they are trying to colonize Italy and throw the original local mafia out of the business,’ claimed Meluzzi.