Music star Peter Okoye, one half of the legendary duo P-Square, on Monday testified before the Federal High Court in Lagos, detailing how his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, allegedly diverted group royalties using a secretly registered company in his wife’s name.
Jude Okoye is currently facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge of money laundering involving N1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59. He is being tried alongside his company, Northside Music Limited.
Taking the stand as the first prosecution witness, Peter revealed that Jude had incorporated Northside Music Ltd—a name deliberately similar to their original company, Northside Entertainment Ltd—without informing him or his twin brother and bandmate, Paul Okoye.
“I discovered that Jude had set up another company, Northside Music Ltd, and was using it to collect our royalties,” Peter testified. “He and his wife are the only directors. She owns 80 percent of the shares, and he holds the remaining 20 percent.”
Peter explained that the deception came to light after P-Square’s reunion in 2021, following their 2017 split. He began reviewing financial records and noticed irregularities, particularly with royalty payments.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Aso Larry, Peter said he had long been excluded from financial decisions and denied access to group accounts, which were solely controlled by Jude.
“He was the only signatory to all our accounts—Zenith Bank, Ecobank, and FCMB. I couldn’t even buy a phone without Jude’s approval,” he said.
After the group went on hiatus in 2017 and eventually reconciled four years later, Peter attempted to review the group’s music catalogue and digital revenue reports, but Jude allegedly refused to grant access. Even Paul, he claimed, was unaware of how the finances were handled.
“In late 2022, someone expressed interest in acquiring our albums. When they requested our financial statements, I realized I had no access to the backend—where digital royalties are tracked through platforms like YouTube and iTunes,” Peter explained.
Upon further inquiry, he discovered the existence of Northside Music Limited. When he confronted Jude, the latter reportedly told him his share of the revenue was with some individuals in South Africa. But Peter insisted he wasn’t asking for money—only the backend access and account details.
“I got no response. Instead, the backend reports were eventually sent after three and a half months, but they had no financial figures—just codes,” he said. Aggregators later informed him that the backend had been tampered with, significantly devaluing the catalogue. “People who initially offered $8,000 were now only offering $500.”
Peter recounted the group’s management history, from early days under Chioma Ugochi and the late Bayo Odusami of Mbuntu Music, to eventually asking Jude to take over as manager through Northside Entertainment Ltd around 1997–1998.
He added that when he went solo after the group’s split, funding for a joint house project in Ikoyi stopped. “When I asked why, I was told, ‘As you leave P-Square, you leave the money.’ That’s when I went to our lawyer, Festus Keyamo (SAN), now Minister of Aviation, and told him I couldn’t even buy a phone without Jude’s approval.”
It was Keyamo who advised the brothers to agree on a revenue-sharing formula. But Jude allegedly continued to control all financial aspects, including revenue from aggregators still managing P-Square’s catalogue while simultaneously working on Jude and Paul’s individual projects.
Peter said things changed only after he was allowed to redirect the catalogue to a new distributor, Mad Solutions. “Three months after signing, I received over $22,000. When I asked if others had been paid their share, I was told they had already received it.”
He added that a tax consultant once visited his home and claimed Jude owed only around N2 million in taxes. “He also told me Jude had declared that we hadn’t performed since our split. But when I checked Access Bank statements from January to December 2017, they all showed inflows from aggregators.”
After these revelations, Peter said he contacted his lawyer, identified as Afolabi, who filed a petition with the EFCC.
The case has been adjourned until June 4 for cross-examination.
