Chukwumerije, who is the son of the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije, was reportedly travelling from his country home in Umunneochi back to Umuahia when the gunmen ambushed his convoy shortly after passing Okigwe Junction.
The Abia State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije, narrowly escaped death on Saturday night after unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle along the Enugu-Umuahia Expressway near Ezinnachi, Imo State.
Chukwumerije, who is the son of the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije, was reportedly travelling from his country home in Umunneochi back to Umuahia when the gunmen ambushed his convoy shortly after passing Okigwe Junction.
The commissioner was accompanied by three others during the incident.
However, no one was injured, although their vehicle was riddled with bullets.
In a video statement after the attack, Chukwumerije described the moment as terrifying and credited divine protection for their survival.
“To God be the glory, I just survived an attack on my way from Umunneochi back to Umuahia. They rained bullets on our car. It was very close to where I was sitting,” he recounted.
He explained that the attackers appeared to be using a vehicle to block the road by driving against traffic, giving the impression of a deliberate ambush.
“We applied the brake to know what was happening. The next thing from the side, exactly where I was sitting, they opened fire on us. Thank God for our survival. We are back to Umuahia.”
Confirming the incident on Monday, the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, stated that the attack occurred on the Imo State section of the expressway, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Imo State Police Command.
He added that the Abia command had forwarded a situation report to their counterparts in Imo for further action.
Meanwhile, Chaka’s brother, Dike Chukwumerije, also confirmed the incident in a Facebook post on Monday, describing it as an escape from “an attempt on his life,” noting that the vehicle was “riddled with bullets.”