Peter Okoye Testifies Against Brother Jude Over Alleged ₦1.3 Billion Fraud in EFCC Trial
Nigerian music star Peter Okoye, also known as Mr P of the P-Square duo, has made shocking revelations in court, accusing his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, of serious financial misconduct. The case, which is being heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos, involves allegations of money laundering worth over ₦1.3 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.
The charges were brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following a formal petition submitted by Peter himself. In his testimony, Peter said he discovered several questionable financial activities that made him suspect his brother of diverting the group’s earnings for personal use.
Peter explained that while Jude managed the P-Square group, he was the only signatory to all the group’s bank accounts—including Ecobank, Zenith Bank, and FCMB. Peter said this arrangement left him without access to the group’s funds and forced him to seek legal help from lawyer Festus Keyamo to come up with a sharing formula.
One of the key revelations came when Peter was building his house in Ikoyi. He said the funding stopped without explanation, and he was told, “As you leave P-Square, you leave the money.” This was when he became suspicious that something was wrong.
Peter also told the court that Jude had secretly set up a new company, Northside Music Limited, without informing the group. This company, which bore a similar name to their official company Northside Entertainment Ltd, was allegedly receiving royalties meant for P-Square. Upon checking with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Peter found out that Jude owned 20% of the new company while his wife owned 80%.
More concerning was Peter’s discovery that aggregators responsible for managing P-Square’s digital music were also working for Jude’s separate company. When he asked his twin brother, Paul, about the situation, Paul allegedly told him to “go meet Jude.”
Peter also accused Jude of manipulating the metadata on P-Square’s music catalogue, which later affected its sale value. He said a company named Mad Solutions paid him $22,000 for the catalogue, but Jude and Paul had already collected their own shares.
Another part of Peter’s testimony focused on alleged tax fraud. He claimed their tax consultant revealed that Jude had not properly paid taxes since the group’s 2017 split. Peter said this led him to file a petition through his lawyer, prompting the EFCC’s involvement.
One charge claims that Jude used Northside Music Ltd to purchase a property in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, for ₦850 million. Another states that Jude allegedly laundered over $1 million by converting the funds through a Bureau de Change and transferring them to multiple accounts to hide their source.
Jude Okoye has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The court has adjourned the case to June 4, when Peter will return for cross-examination.
