Imagbe wins €500 on a scratch-off ticket but can't cash in because he doesn't have a residence permit.

Imagbe Ehizomwengie, a 36-year-old Nigerian, is one of the many illegal migrants who landed in Italy on a rubber dinghy from Libya. Having fled Nigeria, which was ravaged by civil war, Imagbe was held in a detention center in Libya in 2016 until, with the help of his relatives, he managed to raise the money to pay the ransom and board a rubber dinghy headed for the coast of Sicily.

Upon arriving in Italy, Imagbe attempted to obtain a special protection permit (a document granted to asylum seekers who lacked certain qualifications to be considered refugees and thus accepted with a regular residence permit), but his application was rejected, and from that moment on he began his life as an illegal immigrant. He couldn't find a regular job, much less open a bank account. He decided to move to Falconara Marittima, in the province of Ancona, where the only job he could do to earn some money was as a street vendor of handkerchiefs, a job he alternated with begging at supermarket entrances.

Everything changed in March 2026, when Imagbe managed to buy two scratch-off tickets and won a whopping €500. However, it was virtual money, as without a residence permit and a bank account, he couldn't cash in on his winnings. The Nigerian community suggested he entrust part of his winnings, €250, to a Nigerian friend, but he disappeared with the loot, and half of the proceeds were squandered in a scam. Imagbe managed to save the other half thanks to a cousin's bank account, but the question of how to dispose of it remained, even though the close relative had invested almost all of the money in opening a shop called Mama Africa, which sells authentic African products in Falconara Marittima.

The solution came thanks to a lawyer, Andrea Palazzeschi, specializing in defending immigrants' rights , who filed an urgent case with the Court of Ancona requesting recognition of Imagbe's residence permit based on two key factors. The first is that he speaks good Italian; the second is that he has a job at the Mama Africa store opened by his cousin with his own money.

At that point, the Ancona Court ordered the issuance of a residence permit, and finally, thanks to luck and his tenacity, Imagbe was able to begin his new life. Now he's a fully-fledged migrant, has his own shop and job, and can look to the future with a healthy dose of optimism.

Read also

• Welcoming Immigrants: Integration Begins with Co-Housing. The Stories of Ibrahim and Mursal
• In Rome, the association that fights food waste and promotes integration and cultural exchange.