“Between Bullets and Belief: Catholic Priest Survives 44 Minutes Of Terror In Anambra”
By Sunny A. David, Awka
In a country where insecurity has become an unsettling part of daily life, survival itself can feel like a miracle. For Rev. Fr. Lawrence Nwankwo, that miracle came in the form of a 44-minute ordeal that tested faith, fate and fortune at a busy roundabout in Anambra State.
The Catholic priest and Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia was caught in a fierce gun attack on the morning of July 9, 2025, at the Ekwulobia Roundabout in Aguata Local Government Area, while on his way to Awka.
According to Fr. Nwankwo, gunfire suddenly erupted as he waited at a traffic light. In the chaos, a hooded gunman forced him out of his car, seized his keys and shoved him into the boot of the vehicle, leaving him trapped as bullets rained around him.
From inside the boot, the priest listened as gunshots echoed, at one point hearing a call for a fresh magazine — a chilling sign that the attackers were fully armed and prepared for prolonged violence.
During the standoff, a bullet struck his toe, causing a minor injury but sparing his life.
The vehicle was later found riddled with 19 bullet holes, with even the spare tyre beneath the boot shot through. Fr. Nwankwo believes his placement in the boot, though terrifying, ultimately saved him from more serious harm.
Relief came when the Joint Intervention Force arrived, forcing the gunmen to flee.
A young boy later opened the boot, allowing the priest to crawl out alive and shaken, but grateful.
In the days that followed, a special Thanksgiving Mass was held in his home village of Ndiowu, Orumba North Local Government Area, presided over by His Eminence, Peter Ebere Cardinal Okpaleke. For Fr. Nwankwo, the experience has become a powerful personal testimony of faith and survival in the face of rising violence.
As communities continue to grapple with insecurity, his story stands as a reminder of both the human cost of violence and the resilience of those who live through it.
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