Nigerian sprinter Godson Oghenebrume has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison in the United States after being convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall in a statement issued by the Department of Justice on June 30, 2026.
Oghenebrume, 23, a former athlete at Louisiana State University, was sentenced by U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm while in the United States on a non-immigrant F-1 student visa.
He is also expected to face deportation proceedings after completing his prison sentence.
According to court records, Oghenebrume was found in possession of a Glock 43X 9mm pistol on February 7, 2025, while residing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Authorities said the incident stemmed from a dispute involving his former girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. During an argument outside his apartment, Oghenebrume allegedly discharged the firearm while the child was present.
Investigators said he later fired additional shots as the woman fled the scene, with multiple bullet impacts later discovered within the apartment complex.
Court documents further stated that when law enforcement officers arrived, Oghenebrume ignored their commands, walked away and attempted to discard the firearm in nearby shrubs before he was apprehended.
During questioning, he reportedly told investigators that he fired the gun to scare his former girlfriend away.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, while federal prosecutors handled the prosecution.
The conviction forms part of a broader U.S. Department of Justice initiative targeting violent crime and firearms offences.
