Nigerian sprinter Godson Oghenebrume has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in the United States while holding a non-immigrant visa, a violation that carries a possible 15-year prison sentence.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Brume entered the guilty plea before Judge Shelly Dick at a federal court on December 3. Under US law, non-immigrant visa holders are prohibited from possessing firearms except under limited circumstances.
In addition to a potential 15-year jail term, the 21-year-old athlete also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and as many as three years of supervised release. He may be deported after serving his sentence.
Brume, who is in the US on an F-1 student visa, admitted that he possessed and discharged a Glock 43X 9mm pistol during an altercation with an ex-girlfriend—the mother of his infant child—at his Baton Rouge, Louisiana apartment on February 7, 2025.
Citing details from the complaint, the DOJ said the incident unfolded after the woman arrived at Brume’s apartment with their baby while he was inside with another young woman.
“During this argument, and while the baby was present, Oghenebrume discharged the firearm,” the DOJ statement said.
The confrontation escalated further when the ex-girlfriend later opened the apartment door and found Brume with the other woman. The pair argued again, spilling outside the apartment. “Oghenebrume discharged the firearm more times as the mother of his child fled,” the DOJ added, noting that multiple bullet impacts were found on nearby apartment walls.
Brume is the younger brother of Ese Brume, Nigeria’s celebrated long jumper. He moved to the US in 2022 on an athletics scholarship and has since risen in the sprints, winning silver in the men’s 4×100m relay at the 2024 African Athletics Championships in Cameroon.
He is currently Nigeria’s fourth-fastest 100m sprinter, with a personal best of 9.90 seconds.
