By Daniel Akinola

Brother, Godson bags 27 months jail term

Long jump sensation, Ese Brume, announced her steady return to top form by winning the gold medal at the 2026 USATF San Diego/Imperial Open and Masters Championships in Chula Vista.
  
Conversely, in what looks like vicissitude of fortunes for the Brume family in the United States, her younger brother, sprinter Godson Brume, has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick for being in possession of a firearm by an alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa.
 
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana announced yesterday that Godson Brume, age 23, a Nigerian national residing in Baton Rouge, is also subject to removal or deportation from the United States upon completion of his sentence.
 
His older sister, Ese, who is the reigning Commonwealth champion and African record holder, produced her season’s best leap of 6.59metres, improving on the wind-aided 6.53m she posted at the LA Grand Prix earlier this month in her opening outdoor competition of the season.
 
She finished ahead of America’s Nicole Warwick to secure the gold medal, underlining her growing momentum as she prepares for major international competitions, including the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
   
A two-time World Championships medallist and Olympic finalist, Ese Brume remains one of the world’s leading long jumpers. She still holds the African record of 7.17 metres and her latest victory in San Diego is another encouraging sign that she is regaining peak form ahead of a busy 2026 athletics campaign.
 
Meanwhile, Godson, according to admissions made during his plea on February 7, 2025, possessed a Glock model 43X, 9mm pistol, while being admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant F-1 student visa.
 
The complaint preceding the indictment detailed that on the night of February 7, Godson’s ex-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his infant child, arrived at his apartment with the baby. An argument ensued outside the apartment, during which Godson discharged the firearm while the baby was present. Multiple bullet strikes were later observed in the walls of the apartment complex.
 
Godson smashed his ex-girlfriend’s phone and briefly took the baby before another woman intervened to retrieve the child.
 
When East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies arrived, Godson Brume ignored commands and discarded the firearm into nearby shrubs before being detained.
  
In a post-Miranda interview, he admitted firing the gun to “scare her away.”
 
U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy S. Johnson and Lyman E. Thornton III led the prosecution.
 
“This sentence reflects our commitment to enforcing federal firearm laws and protecting our communities from violent crime,” Wall said. “No one is above the law, regardless of their background or achievements.”
 
Godson Brume was once considered Nigeria’s brightest sprint prospect. A standout at Louisiana State University, he clocked 9.90 seconds in the 100m, a time that placed him among the fastest Nigerians in history. He was widely tipped as the next big star in Nigerian athletics, with Olympic potential.
 
His conviction and impending deportation mark a dramatic fall from grace for an athlete who had been celebrated as a future icon of the sport.
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