The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two men, Shehu Abdu and Isah Saidu, for allegedly standing as fake sureties to Ji Zhou, a Chinese national wanted for illegal mining and economic sabotage.
The suspects were arraigned on Monday, June 2, 2025, before Justice A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court on charges of giving false information to a public servant—an offence under Section 105(a) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
According to the EFCC in a Tuesday statement, Abdu and Saidu claimed to be close associates of Zhou and promised to produce him whenever required by the Commission after he was granted “administrative bail.”
They signed a N10 million bail bond to that effect.
But when Zhou was needed, the story changed.
“We didn’t know him. His lawyer paid us ₦40,000 each to pose as sureties,” the men allegedly told EFCC investigators.
Their claims, the EFCC noted, led directly to Zhou’s release—a move the Commission said would never have happened had the truth been known.
Both men were slammed with nearly identical charges. One reads: “That you, SHEHU ABDU… gave false information to a public servant which made him release one Ji Zhou on administrative bail, an act he would not have done had the true state of facts been known…”
They both pleaded “not guilty.”
Prosecuting counsel Y.J. Matiyak, Esq urged the court to set a trial date and remand the defendants in custody pending trial.
Justice Isiaka adjourned the matter to June 16, 2025, for ruling on their bail applications and ordered that they be remanded in the Kaduna Correctional Centre.
The EFCC has since launched a manhunt for Ji Zhou, who is now on the run, even as the case sheds light on how easily the judicial system can be compromised by “rented sureties”.
An EFCC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, called the case a warning to others: “This is how illegal miners escape justice—through lies and loopholes. We’re closing those gaps.”
