Former Nigerian national basketball player killed while burglarizing Plano , Dallas, Texas, USA

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A former member of the Nigerian national basketball team was shot and killed last week while breaking into a Plano residence, police said Wednesday.

Chinedu Onyeuku, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene on the 1500 block of Rio Grande Street. His shooter said he saw Onyeuku and another unidentified man break his glass patio door and try to enter his home. The other burglar ran away after Onyeuku was shot, police said.

Plano police spokesman David Tilley said that “multiple people” were in the residence at the time of the shooting. No one inside, including the shooter, was hurt.

According to the website Teamnigeriabasketball.com, Onyeuku was born in Lagos, but moved to the United States when he was six. He played college basketball at Illinois State University and then had a short semi-pro career, including a stop on the Arlington Bulldogs of the American Basketball Association. Plano police listed his hometown as Omaha.

A statement from the Nigeria Basketball Federation posted on the website of ChannelsTV, a Nigerian station, said Onyeuku played for the Nigerian team that qualified for the 2012 Olympics during a tournament in Venezuela. He was not on the Olympic roster, however.

“[Onyeuku's] passion for playing with D’Tigers was deep-seated and he will be greatly missed,” the statement said. “The federation joins his family and team mates to mourn a departed son, father, husband and great patriot.”

Police said the burglary and shooting is still being investigated and does not appear to be random. The incident happened around 3 a.m. on Nov. 21, but investigators waited to release details until Wednesday, saying that they needed to collect some “critical information” before it went public.

They are now asking for help finding the second burglar. No description is available, but police request that anyone with information call 972-941-2148 or 877-373-8477.

Nigerian Airport Security Supervisor Arrested For Using Dead Man's Identity

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NEWARK, NJ (PIX11)— 

For two decades, this man lived and worked as Jerry Thomas.

The only problem -- Jerry Thomas is dead...and has been since 1992 according to Port Authority officials.

This man's real name -- according to police -- is Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole.

The 54-year old Nigerian lives in a modest Elizabeth apartment building.

He works as a security supervisor at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Police arrested Oyewole at his home this morning.

By now, investigators are surely trying to figure out how he was able to illegally assume Jerry Thomas' identity in the late 1980s...and then consistently pass several background checks.

The real Thomas, by the way, was murdered in New York City in 1992.

His neighbor, Ramon Leon, told pix11's Jay Dow, it's a "very, very alarming because if he would went the wrong way, or if he wanted to do any sort of a criminal act, or conspire with terrorists he could have done it....he had the job - he had the position."

So how could this happen?

The private company he works for -- FJC security, and at least three state and federal agencies, are blaming each other for the security breach.

The Port Authority referred us to FJC, which it hired to provide security at the airport.

FJC officials says when they "inherited" the man they knew as Thomas from another security firm in 2003, he produced a valid birth certificate and social security card.

They also say their new employee was run through the New Jersey State Police Guard registration process and vetted by the US Customs officials.

FJC Spokesman Mike McKeon tells Pix11,

"We went by the book on this guy. It's frustrating and surprising for us."

A spokesperson for the transportation Security Administration tells pix 11 their "investigation indicates that the individual's identification documents were presented to the Port Authority for verification about a decade before TSA existed.

Dow reports that none of the neighbors he met inside the apartment building ever doubted their "Mr. Thomas". He's due to appear in court Tuesday, and is charged with identity theft.