Photos: Pope Francis baptizes Nigerian beggar turned hero, John Francesco Ogah

Tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday for an Easter mass led by Pope Francis, who on the previous night, baptized eight people, including a Nigerian man known in Italy as the "migrant hero."

31 year old Nigerian man, John Francesco Ogah, was named a hero after he intercepted another man attempting to rob a supermarket in Rome's Centocelle neighbourhood on Sept. 26, 2017.


Ogah who was at the time an illegal immigrant, had been begging for spare change outside the Carrefour market when a masked thief, armed with a meat cleaver, tried to steal 400 euros from the cashiers at the market.

With nothing more than his bare hands, Ogah confronted the thief, wrested the cleaver away from him and then held him by the collar until police arrived. Scared that he would be arrested for not having legal papers, Ogah fled the scene of the attack.

Using surveillance cameras at the market, the police were able to track him down and rewarded him by helping him get legal permission to stay in the country.

The police captain who worked in the neighbourhood stood at Ogah's side as his godfather during Saturday night's baptism.