Gbolahan Ayodamola Raji

Gbolahan Ayodamola Raji is a doctoral researcher in criminology at the University of Hull, where his thesis examines the role of strategic intelligence in narcotic drugs. His empirical research centres on the West African drug crime environment, with Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency as a focus. In his research, Gbolahan asks why strategic intelligence so often fails to shape narcotic drug policing strategies, even when narcotics are a national priority.

He brings three years of practice to the research. At Bulwark Intelligence, he worked as a security and intelligence associate, producing threat monitoring, forecasting and intelligence products. At Halogen Group, he served as an intelligence and investigation analyst, working on due diligence and counterfeit investigations. His professional expertise includes open-source intelligence (OSINT), threat and risk assessment, criminal investigations, strategic forecasting, qualitative research, and policy analysis.

His published work includes a chapter on private security intelligence in West Africa (Routledge, 2025) and peer-reviewed articles on cybercrime and counter-radicalisation. He holds a BSc and MSc in Intelligence and Security Studies and is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Gbolahan’s interests include intelligence, narcotics and organised crime, cybercrime, policing and law enforcement, and national security.