Prosecutors in the Sicilian capital of Palermo are warning that a new alliance between the mafia and Nigerian criminal gangs moving in from Libya could herald a new era of organised crime. Among them, there [are a small number] of people who want to transfer their illegal trafficking, linked to prostitution and drug dealing, to Sicily.
And the mafia was quite happy to integrate them into their criminal business. In the past this signal was only used by Italian dealers working for Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia.
About two years ago, when Nigerians adopted the whistle, offering drugs at a discount, it was clear that a new criminal organisation had set foot in the city. State prosecutors in Palermo say the mafia brings in drugs and the Nigerians distribute them among both Italian and African clients. To have better control of their new African partners, Cosa Nostra seems to have made another rule clear: no guns. So when Nigerians have to settle accounts within their community, they do it with axes and machetes.
Prostitution is thought to be one of the most profitable businesses for the Nigerian clans. Traditionally, Cosa Nostra is reluctant to directly manage this business β according to the old mafia codes of honour, prostitution is considered a shameful activity.
In the state court of Palermo a trial against an alleged Nigerian gangster, Austin Ewosa, 32, is under way. He stands accused of assault, intimidation, criminal association and attempted murder, charges that could see him jailed for 10 years. According to the prosecution, Ewosa is the head of the feared Nigerian clan Black Axe , a criminal organisation born as a sort of student fraternity in the s at the University of Benin City.
