Nigerian music artist Peter Okoye, often known as Mr. P, was introduced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 16, 2025, as its first prosecution witness (PW1) in the ongoing trial of Jude Chigozie Okoye, his older brother.
According to Naija News, Jude Okoye, the former manager of the now-defunct 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 include alleged theft of $1 million and £34,537 in music royalties.
Under the direction of EFCC attorney Mohammed Bashir, Mr. P informed the court that on January 22, 2024, he filed a case with the EFCC, claiming financial embezzlement related to royalties.
According to him, studies showed that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, owned 80% of the business, with Jude owning the remaining 20%, even though Jude had originally put Northside Music Ltd. as the respondent.
“Until April 2024, when the EFCC inquired as to whether my twin brother was involved, I never spoke to Paul or Jude. I responded I had no idea. Jude utilized more than 47 bank accounts to obtain royalties, according to investigations,” he claimed.
Paul and Jude were later invited by the anti-graft agency, but only Jude was arrested, Mr. P stated.
Additionally, he revealed: “Jude never denied committing the crime.” During an EFCC meeting, however, Paul informed me that Jude owns 40% of P-Square, with Paul and I owning the other 30% each.
Northside Music Ltd., which Mr. P claimed he was not aware of, was registered in 2015 even though it had been in business since 2013—two years prior to the group’s dissolution in 2017.
“Ifeoma, Jude’s wife, was never involved in our business meetings,” he continued.
Mr. P described the journey of the duo, saying that in 1999, he and Paul began their musical career. By 2005, all three brothers—Peter, Paul, and Jude—were identified as directors and shareholders of Northside Entertainment Ltd.
“Three accounts that were opened with Ecobank, FCMB, and Zenith Bank were signed by Jude alone. Among them were Dollar and Naira accounts,” he stated in his testimony.
Between P-Square’s 2017 split and their 2021 reunion, he asserted that he never got any royalties from the band.
Northside Entertainment Ltd. received all royalties from music streaming services such as I-Rocking.com and FreeMe Digital prior to the split.
He claimed that once we got back together without Jude managing us, he found disparities in royalties and realized that Jude was the only employee of a business with the same name, Northside Music Ltd.
He also disclosed that a prospective buyer approached the group about selling their music collection when they were on tour in London. This prompted him to ask for access to the royalty back-end, which uncovered controversial transactions.
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The January 22, 2024, petition was presented as evidence in court by the EFCC. The defense attorney, Chief Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, did not raise any objections.
After admitting the motion, Justice Oshodi postponed further hearings.
According to reports, Jude Okoye and Northside song Ltd. are accused of embezzling substantial profits from the internationally popular P-Square song collection, despite the group’s 2017 breakup and subsequent reunion without Jude’s direction.
As the trial goes on, the EFCC is attempting to prove that royalties were fraudulently taken, that corporate accounts were misused, and that business organizations associated with the P-Square brand were registered without authorization.
