The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two men, Shehu Abdu and Isah Saidu, before the Kaduna State High Court for allegedly posing as sureties for a Chinese national, Ji Zhou, who is wanted for illegal mining and economic sabotage.
The duo appeared before Justice A. Isiaka on Monday, June 2, 2025, and were charged with giving false information to a public officer, an offence punishable under Section 105(a) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
According to the EFCC, the suspects admitted they had no prior relationship with Zhou and were recruited by his lawyer, who allegedly paid them ₦40,000 each to serve as sureties. The suspects had signed a ₦10 million bail bond to facilitate Zhou’s release after he was granted administrative bail.
The Commission said both men claimed to be acquaintances of Zhou and assured the EFCC that they would produce him whenever needed. However, when Zhou was later invited for questioning, neither of the sureties could produce him. Investigators later found that the sureties had no ties to the Chinese suspect and were merely paid actors in the bail arrangement.
“We didn’t know him. His lawyer paid us ₦40,000 each to act as sureties,” the EFCC quoted the defendants as saying during interrogation.
The EFCC emphasized that Zhou would not have been granted bail had it been aware that the sureties were fake. Following his release, Zhou reportedly fled, and a manhunt has now been launched to locate him.
One of the charges against Shehu Abdu read: “That you, Shehu Abdu, on or about April 17, 2024, in Kaduna, knowingly gave false information to a public servant which led to the release of Ji Zhou on administrative bail—an act the EFCC would not have done if it had known the true facts.”
Both Abdu and Saidu pleaded not guilty to the charges. The EFCC prosecutor, Y.J. Matiyak, requested that the court remand the accused and set a date for trial. Justice Isiaka granted the request, remanding the defendants at the Kaduna Correctional Centre.
The judge then adjourned the case until June 16, 2025, when a ruling will be made on their bail applications.
Meanwhile, the EFCC says investigations are ongoing, and efforts are being intensified to apprehend Zhou and uncover the full extent of the bail fraud network.
