The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted a man, David Udensik, also known as Dr Jacob Bello, for his involvement in an international oil fraud worth over $1m.

A statement by the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday revealed this

According to the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, the conviction followed a petition by a United States–based energy company, which accused the suspect of defrauding it under the guise of facilitating crude oil transactions in Nigeria.

Hundeyin added that investigations by operatives of the National Cybercrime Centre revealed that Udensik ran a criminal network between 2018 and 2023,

Udensik was also said to have forged documents allegedly issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other regulatory agencies to deceive the victim company.

The statement read, “Nigeria Police Force has secured the conviction of one Mr David Udensik, also known as Dr Jacob Bello, for his role in a transnational oil-related fraud scheme amounting to over One Million United States Dollars (USD $1,000,000). The conviction followed a petition by a United States–based energy company, alleging that the suspect obtained funds from the firm under the pretext of facilitating legitimate crude oil transactions in Nigeria.

“Acting on the petition, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) commenced investigations, which revealed that the suspect, between 2018 and 2023, operated a coordinated criminal network that forged documents purportedly emanating from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other regulatory platforms to deceive the victim company.”