The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charged Damilola Bamigboye, a 24-year-old Nigerian national, for resisting arrest and the abduction of a Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent in Plymouth, Minnesota. Mr. Bamigboye, who was being surveilled for overstaying his student visa, was charged alongside his accomplice, Rekeya Frazier.
The incident occurred on December 10 when HSI agents, in an unmarked vehicle with sirens and lights, were monitoring Mr. Bamigboye’s car outside his apartment. When an SUV driven by Ms. Frazier, with Mr. Bamigboye as the back-seat passenger, pulled up, agents identified themselves and approached to discuss his immigration status.
The situation escalated rapidly after Mr. Bamigboye, who was in the back seat, became uncooperative. The FBI report states he shouted instructions at Ms. Frazier to drive away immediately. As she started the car, one agent managed to hop into the front passenger seat to stop the ignition, while a second agent was forced to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
The car door slammed shut, leaving the first agent “involuntarily carried in the Jeep as it drove.” The agent demanded Ms. Frazier stop the vehicle and struggled to put the car in park, but she pushed his hand away and reportedly threatened to “crash the car,” although she also stated they were heading to a police station. The agent, unfamiliar with the Minnesota area, was in fear of being kidnapped.
During the high-speed pursuit, with the HSI surveillance vehicle trailing with sirens blazing, Mr. Bamigboye called 911 while the agent called his HSI operations for guidance. The agent eventually drew his firearm and ordered Ms. Frazier to stop, but she refused. She finally parked the car in front of the New Hope Police Department, about two miles from the initial location.
As the vehicle slowed, Mr. Bamigboye jumped out and fled into a nearby grocery store, where he was eventually apprehended by an agent and a uniformed police officer. Ms. Frazier was later taken into custody after initially refusing to exit the Jeep.
In his subsequent interview with the FBI, Mr. Bamigboye denied that the agents properly identified themselves with badges. He admitted wrestling with the agent to evade arrest and instructing Ms. Frazier to drive away. He attributed his actions to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he claimed to have developed from being previously kidnapped in his native country, Nigeria. The FBI concluded that there was probable cause that the duo violated federal code, Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 111, involving assault and interference with a federal officer. Both face trial in the Minnesota district court.
