Nigerian Man in US Faces Federal Charges After Fleeing ICE Agents, Citing Nigerian Kidnapping Trauma

Plymouth, Minnesota – A dramatic confrontation unfolded in a Minnesota apartment parking lot on December 11, 2025, when U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents attempted to question 24-year-old Nigerian national Oluwadamilola “Dami” Bamigboye about his overstayed student visa, only for him to flee in a moving vehicle, sparking federal charges against him and his 23-year-old partner, Rekeya.

The incident, confirmed through HSI statements and local court filings obtained from Hennepin County records, began around evening as Bamigboye and Rekeya pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex in Plymouth, a suburb of Minneapolis. HSI agents, acting on intelligence about Bamigboye’s immigration violation—he had entered the U.S. on a student F-1 visa that expired after his studies—approached the Jeep as Bamigboye exited the vehicle.

According to an HSI affidavit unsealed this week, Bamigboye panicked upon hearing the agents identify themselves and inquire about his status. He scrambled into the back seat, urged Rekeya to “drive off,” and locked the doors. As Rekeya started the engine, one agent jumped into the front passenger seat to block her, while a second entered the back to physically restrain Bamigboye.

Bamigboye allegedly shoved the backseat agent out, and Rekeya accelerated, with the vehicle still in motion. The agent in the back yelled commands to stop and drew his service weapon, firing a warning shot into the air—though federal reports clarify no shots struck the vehicle. Rekeya later told investigators she was heading straight to the Plymouth Police Department for help, believing the agents posed a threat.

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The chase ended abruptly at the police station parking lot, where Bamigboye leaped from the moving Jeep and sprinted to a nearby Cub Foods supermarket. Officers apprehended him there without further incident. Rekeya remained at the scene and cooperated initially.

Both now face serious federal charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota: Bamigboye with assault on a federal officer, resisting arrest, and evading law enforcement; Rekeya charged with aiding and abetting, plus operating a vehicle during a federal apprehension. Court documents list potential penalties up to 20 years if convicted. An arraignment is set for December 18.

In a post-arrest interview detailed in the HSI report, Bamigboye explained his terror stemmed from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linked to a prior kidnapping in Nigeria. “I thought they were kidnappers,” he reportedly said, a claim his attorney, public defender Maria Gonzalez, echoed in a brief statement to reporters: “Mr. Bamigboye carries deep scars from violence back home; his reaction was born of survival instinct, not malice.” No public details confirm the Nigerian incident, but advocates note rising kidnappings in Nigeria, with over 3,500 abductions reported in 2024 alone by local security trackers.

HSI spokesperson Scott Stewart emphasized in a December 15 press release: “Agents followed protocol during a routine enforcement action. Fleeing endangers everyone involved.” The agency confirmed Bamigboye, originally from Lagos, had overstayed his visa by over a year post-graduation from a local community college.

The case highlights tensions in U.S. immigration enforcement amid a surge in deportations under the current administration, with Minnesota seeing a 15% uptick in HSI operations this year per federal data. Nigerian community leaders in the Twin Cities, home to over 50,000 Nigerian-Americans, expressed concern, urging calm while calling for mental health support for trauma survivors.

As the story develops, immigration rights groups like the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee plan vigils, decrying what they term “overzealous tactics.” Bamigboye’s bond hearing could shed more light on his Nigerian backstory and PTSD claims.