About

Umar Yakubu holds a Ph.D. in Defence & Security Studies and is a leading expert in national security, counter-corruption, the criminal justice system, and technology-driven integrity solutions. With over 20 years of professional experience spanning the public, private, and civil society sectors, his work focuses on modernizing security governance, disrupting illicit financial flows, and deploying advanced data science to combat organized crime and public sector fraud.

Key Experience and Contributions

National Security & Organized Crime

Dr. Yakubu designs strategic frameworks to address evolving asymmetric threats, border vulnerabilities, and transnational organized crime networks.

Border Security & Inter-Agency Reform: Conducts vital policy research focused on modernizing border management systems and strategically realigning military and paramilitary roles to optimize internal security operations.
Organized Crime Analysis: Leads advanced research and coordinates regional professional programs through the Organized Crime Resilience Initiative (OCRI), equipping professionals with data-driven strategies to counter modern syndicates.
The Casper HXN Database: Engineered a proprietary criminal database utilizing open-source intelligence (OSINT) to track, map, and profile organized crime patterns and actor networks.
Tactical & Strategic Training: Has completed advanced strategic security engagements and training with global law enforcement and security bodies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Anti-Corruption, Financial Crime & Justice Reform

Rooted in deep operational experience within premier enforcement frameworks, Dr. Yakubu works to strengthen prosecution mechanisms, accelerate judicial efficiency, and institutionalize public accountability at both national and subnational levels.

Financial Crime Enforcement: Spent a decade (2007–2017) at Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), directly formulating and implementing policies for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).
The Transparency & Integrity Index (TII): In 2021, he developed the TII, an empirical tool used to continuously assess how federal, state, and local government institutions comply with domestic and international laws on open governance, budget transparency, and justice sector accountability.
Subnational Accountability Frameworks: Developed the Nigerian Local Government Integrity Index (NLGII) to evaluate institutional ethics at the local level, using those metrics to deploy the Local Government Accountability Framework (LGAF) to strengthen municipal governance.
High-Level Technical Taskforces: Served on the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force (PCFATF) and the National Risk Assessment Secretariat on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing—technical efforts that successfully removed Nigeria from the global high-risk countries list.
National Strategy Development: Served as one of the core committee members who developed Nigeria’s National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

Technological Innovation & Data Science

Dr. Yakubu leverages artificial intelligence, digital registries, and open-source intelligence to build scalable technical solutions that safeguard public resources, map risks, and automate compliance.

Aletheia Procurement Integrity (Aletheia PI): Developed a pioneering AI-driven portal designed to analyze public procurement data, map beneficial ownership, and flag high-risk indicators to prevent public sector fraud.
OmniRecords: Designed a unified digital registry platform optimized for institutional record-keeping, ensuring data integrity, cross-departmental synchronization, and auditable compliance tracking.
Specter: Engineered an advanced intelligence and risk-mapping tool utilizing big data and open-source intelligence to detect anomalies, uncover hidden corporate links, and flag financial crime vulnerabilities.
Zero Chance: Created a proactive tech-driven compliance framework and digital assessment tool engineered to minimize human discretion in high-risk administrative processes, reducing the systemic opportunity for corruption.
Jarvis PPS: Developed a technological ownership-verification platform that enables individuals to register valuable items using unique identifiers such as serial numbers, barcodes, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs), and other proof-of-ownership markers. The platform enhances crime prevention by creating a safety-focused registry that helps verify ownership and discourages the purchase of stolen items.
Global Monitoring Mechanisms: Developed the first civil society mechanism used across multiple countries to monitor the implementation of United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) articles.

International Engagements & Governance Leadership

Global Civil Society Leadership: Served on the Board of the UNCAC Coalition, a global network of over 350 civil society organizations committed to promoting the ratification and implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Global Evaluation: Represented national interests at the United Nations General Assembly (Sixth Committee), assessing the implementation of UNCAC measures.
Expert Consultancy: Has provided expert consultancy for major global organizations, including the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the European Union (EU).
International Leadership: Was invited by the U.S. State Department to participate in the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP).

Professional Background

Education and Training

Dr. Yakubu’s multi-disciplinary academic foundation pairs rigorous strategic security theory with financial and fraud analytics:

Ph.D. in Defence & Security Studies (Nigerian Defence Academy)
M.Sc. in Counter-Corruption and Counter-Fraud Studies (University of Portsmouth)
Master of Business Administration (University of Chester)
B.Sc. in Economics (Ahmadu Bello University)

He holds executive and professional credentials from leading global institutions, including Harvard Business School, MIT, and the University of Leiden. Committed to continuous professional development, he has completed over fifty specialized courses globally.

Leadership and Affiliations

Dr. Yakubu operationalizes his expertise through a network of specialized commercial, research, compliance, and civil society platforms:

Intelligensys & Strategies Ltd: A technology firm delivering B2B digital solutions, risk analytics, and secure registry infrastructure.
Center for Fiscal Transparency & Public Integrity (CeFTPI): A prominent civil society organization promoting good governance, institutional accountability, and public sector efficiency.
Counter Fraud Center LLC: An organization dedicated to specialized research, capacity building, and credentialing in financial crime analysis.
Compliance Institute: Serves on the Board, driving standard-setting, professional certification, and the institutionalization of anti-money laundering and regulatory compliance frameworks.

He is an active member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the Nigerian Economic Society (NES). As a respected thought leader, he regularly writes policy commentary for major newspapers and appears as a media analyst on national security and public governance.