FBI Arraigns Nigerian, Damilola Bamigboye Over Abduction of Immigration Officer

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arraigned a 24-year-old Nigerian, Damilola Bamigboye, on charges of resisting arrest and abducting a federal officer from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Authorities said Bamigboye was under surveillance for overstaying his student visa when an operation to arrest him on December 10 spiralled into a dramatic hostage incident involving a federal agent.

He is being prosecuted alongside an alleged accomplice, Rekeya Frazier.

Court documents revealed that HSI agents were monitoring Bamigboye from an unmarked vehicle near his apartment in Plymouth, Minnesota.

The vehicle, though unmarked, was fitted with emergency lights and sirens. Agents were observing a Kia Optima linked to the suspect when a Jeep SUV pulled in and parked beside it.

Bamigboye was identified as the front-seat passenger, while Frazier, believed to be his girlfriend, was driving.

Investigators said Bamigboye appeared to notice the surveillance and attempted to conceal his identity by wearing a mask and moving items from the front to the back seat. Frazier briefly exited the vehicle but remained close by.

When agents approached the Jeep, displaying their badges and identifying themselves as law enforcement, Bamigboye—who had moved to the back seat—became uncooperative after learning they wanted to question him about his immigration status.

According to the FBI, Bamigboye grabbed the headrest and ordered Frazier to flee.

“He shouted, ‘Drive! Drive! Drive! Get in the car and drive now,’ or words to that effect,” FBI Special Agent Terry Getsch stated in a report to U.S. Magistrate Judge David Schultz.

As Frazier complied, one agent entered the front passenger seat to prevent the vehicle from starting, while another struggled with Bamigboye in the back seat.

Despite the struggle, Frazier managed to start the Jeep, forcing one agent to jump clear to avoid being struck. The vehicle then lurched forward with another agent still trapped inside.

“Agent 1 was involuntarily transported in the Jeep as it drove away,” the FBI said.

Inside the moving vehicle, the agent repeatedly ordered Frazier to stop, warning her that continuing would worsen the situation. She allegedly pushed his hand away when he tried to park and threatened to crash the vehicle, saying she would instead drop him at a police station.

Unfamiliar with the area and on temporary assignment in Minnesota, the agent feared he was being kidnapped.

Meanwhile, the original surveillance vehicle gave chase with sirens and emergency lights activated. Bamigboye reportedly called 911 during the pursuit, while the agent inside the Jeep identified himself as a federal officer and contacted HSI operations for assistance.

The agent later drew his firearm and again ordered Frazier to stop, but she refused. She eventually parked outside the New Hope Police Department, roughly two miles from Bamigboye’s residence.

As the Jeep slowed, Bamigboye jumped out and fled into a nearby Hy-Vee grocery store, where he was later apprehended.

Frazier initially refused to exit the vehicle and was arrested after uniformed police officers arrived at the scene.

After initially declining to speak with investigators, Bamigboye later waived his rights.

According to reports, he admitted struggling with a federal agent and instructing Frazier to drive away but denied that the officers properly identified themselves.

He attributed his actions to post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a previous kidnapping experience in Nigeria.

“The defendant claimed his conduct was influenced by PTSD resulting from a past kidnapping while living in Nigeria,” Agent Getsch told the court.

The FBI said it has probable cause to believe that Bamigboye and Frazier intentionally abducted a federal officer, adding that the incident involved physical contact and intent to commit an additional felony, in violation of Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code.

Bamigboye has since been formally charged following his arraignment before Magistrate Judge David Schultz in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.