On Friday, May 16, 2025, Nigerian musician Peter Okoye, also referred to as Mr. P, was introduced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as its first prosecution witness (PW1) in the ongoing trial of Jude Chigozie Okoye, his older brother.
Jude Okoye, a former manager of the now-defunct band P-Square, and his company, Northside Music Ltd., are on trial before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on four counts that allegedly involve the theft of $1 million and £34,537 in music royalties, according to Naija News.
Mr. P informed the court, under the direction of EFCC attorney Mohammed Bashir, that he filed a case with the EFCC on January 22, 2024, alleging money embezzlement concerning royalties.
He claimed that although he had first identified Northside Music Ltd. as the respondent, further research showed that Jude owned 20% of the business, with Ifeoma, Jude’s wife, owning the remaining 80%.
“Until the EFCC inquired about my twin brother’s involvement in April 2024, I never spoke to Paul or Jude. “I didn’t know,” I said. Jude received earnings from more than 47 bank accounts, according to investigations,” he said.
The anti-graft agency later invited both Jude and Paul, but only Jude was arrested, Mr. P stated.
“Jude never denied committing the crime,” he added. However, Paul informed me in an EFCC meeting that Jude owns 40% of P-Square, with Paul and I owning the other 30% apiece.
Mr. P claimed to be ignorant of Northside Music Ltd., which he learned was registered in 2015 even though the group had been in existence since 2013—two years prior to its dissolution in 2017.
Jude’s wife Ifeoma was never present at our business meetings, he continued.
According to Mr. P, who described the journey of the pair, he and Paul began their musical career in 1999. All three brothers—Peter, Paul, and Jude—were named as directors and shareholders of Northside Entertainment Ltd. by the time it was registered in 2005.
Jude was the only signatory to three accounts that were opened with Zenith Bank, Ecobank, and FCMB. He said that these contained Dollar and Naira accounts.
He asserted that he never got any royalties from P-Square between their 2017 breakup and their 2021 reconciliation.
Prior to the split, Northside Entertainment Ltd. received all earnings from music streaming services including I-Rocking.com and FreeMe Digital.
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He said that once we got back together without Jude managing us, he found disparities in royalties and a business with the same name, Northside Music Ltd., that Jude alone owned.
Additionally, he disclosed that when a prospective buyer approached the group about selling their music collection while on tour in London, he asked to view the royalty back-end, which revealed dubious transactions.
The January 22, 2024, petition was submitted by the EFCC as evidence in court. Chief Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, the defense attorney, did not object.
The petition was granted by Justice Oshodi, who also postponed future hearings.
According to reports, the lawsuit revolves around claims that Jude Okoye and Northside Music Ltd. embezzled substantial profits from the internationally popular P-Square discography, despite the group’s 2017 breakup and subsequent reunion without Jude’s leadership.
The trial is still ongoing as the EFCC aims to prove improper registration of business organizations associated with the P-Square brand, fraudulent appropriation of royalties, and misuse of company accounts.
