Nigerian man previously ordered removed from U.S. convicted of unlawfully possessing firearm

Submitted by U.S. Attorney’s Office

A federal jury has found Djamalou Ousseini, 56, Niger, guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. Ousseini was indicted on Dec. 17, 2025.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, records maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that Ousseini, a citizen of Niger, illegally entered the United States in 2000 using a false passport under the name “Abdou Dijbo.” An immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States on April 29, 2008. Ousseini was eventually released from immigration custody in 2008 and was under an Order of Supervision, wherein he was required to check in with immigration officials regularly.

Ousseini was never granted lawful status in the United States and never obtained legitimate travel documents, though he was repeatedly instructed to do so. Ousseini stopped communicating with immigration officials in 2022.

On Nov. 5, 2025, at approximately 8 a.m., FBI Special Agents and ICE officers arrived at Ousseini’s Indianapolis residence to arrest him on his removal order. When Ousseini answered the door, investigators immediately observed a Smith & Wesson SW40VE .40 caliber handgun in a holster on his hip. The firearm was loaded with multiple live rounds.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case. U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon presided over the trial and will sentence Ousseini at a later date.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked the prosecution team – Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa, Paralegal Specialist Sarah Helbig, and Systems Manager Kathy Wells – for their work on the case.