Oluwadamilola Ogooluwa Bamigboye is our Minnesota Man of the Day for December 12. He is a Nigerian native but currently resides in Plymouth. Mr. Bamigboye was the subject of those dramatic headlines this week, like this one by KARE-11,
FBI investigating after federal agent allegedly kidnapped by detainee in Minnesota
According to the federal complaint filed in the case, Homeland Security officers believe that he is an illegal alien, having overstayed a student visa. Wednesday afternoon, they were staking out Bamigboye’s Plymouth apartment, awaiting his return.
He fled the scene in a Jeep SUV (model not specified) with a female companion, Rekeya Lionesha Lee Frazier, behind the wheel, our Man in the backseat, and a federal agent involuntarily along for the ride in the front passenger seat. Frasier then made for the neighboring New Hope City Hall, seeking sanctuary from the feds. Our Man called 911, in an effort to be rescued by local authorities from the federal authorities seeking to take him into custody.
Alas, the couple found no new hope as both were taken into custody by other federal officers in pursuit of the Jeep. Both are now in federal custody, awaiting an appearance this afternoon in federal court in downtown Minneapolis. Frazier’s booking photo,
But it seems that the local Undocumented-American community and their allies have internalized the message that city, county, and state officials are there to protect them from federal authorities.
A couple of curious details from the KARE-11 report appear to reinforce this view. The station quotes the chief of police of New Hope, Tim Hoyt, about the incident and their role,
“We don’t go one side or the other, we’re just here to keep our residents safe,” Hoyt said.
I’m not sure what to make of that quote. The chief of the neighboring Plymouth police department laments that his office wasn’t notified in advance of the federal operation.
Why he would expect that courtesy, given the sequence events, is not explained in the article.
Developing…
