Two men, Shehu Abdu and Isah Saidu, have told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that they were each paid ?40,000 by a lawyer to falsely pose as sureties for Ji Zhou, a Chinese national accused of illegal mining and economic sabotage.

The EFCC disclosed this during the arraignment of the two men before Justice A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court on Monday, June 2, 2025. The suspects are facing charges of providing false information to a public servant, in violation of Section 105(a) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

According to a statement released by the EFCC on Tuesday, Abdu and Saidu claimed to be associates of Zhou and agreed to present him whenever needed by the Commission after he was granted administrative bail. They signed a ?10 million bail bond to secure his release.

However, the EFCC said that when Zhou was later required to appear before investigators, both men failed to produce him. During interrogation, the defendants reportedly admitted that they had no prior relationship with Zhou and were recruited solely for the purpose of securing his bail.

?We didn?t know him. His lawyer paid us ?40,000 each to pose as sureties,? the Commission quoted the defendants as saying.

The EFCC said that had the Commission known the true nature of their relationship with Zhou, he would not have been released. The Commission has now launched a manhunt for Zhou, who has since absconded.

One of the charges against Abdu read: ?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??

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecuting counsel, Y.J. Matiyak, requested the court to remand the defendants and fix a date for trial. Justice Isiaka ordered that Abdu and Saidu be remanded in the Kaduna Correctional Centre and adjourned the case to June 16, 2025, for ruling on their bail applications. (The Guardian)