MmmThe trial of Jude Okoye, former manager of the popular music group P-Square, began in Lagos on Monday with his younger brother, Peter Okoye, giving a detailed testimony.
Jude is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on multiple counts of alleged money laundering and financial fraud involving over N1.3 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.
The case is being heard before Justice Alexander Owoeye at the Federal High Court, Lagos. Jude Okoye and his company, Northside Music Limited, are accused of several financial offenses.
According to court documents, one of the charges accuses him of using allegedly illegal funds to buy a property at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, worth N850 million.
Peter, who appeared as the first prosecution witness, identified himself in court as Peter Obumuneme Okoye. He told the court how his older brother Jude allegedly mishandled group funds and made financial decisions without his or his twin brother Paul’s consent.
“He’s my elder brother and former manager to the group called P-square,” Peter told the court. He explained that P-Square began in the late 1990s and had been managed by several people before Jude took over.
Problems reportedly began when Jude became the sole signatory to the group’s accounts at Ecobank, Zenith Bank, and FCMB.
Peter noted that financial disagreements started becoming serious when Jude allegedly restricted his access to funds.
This became especially evident during the construction of their homes in Ikoyi, where Peter claimed that financing for his house was suddenly stopped for six months. He said he was later told that since he left the group, he had also left behind access to the funds.
“Whenever we had these issues for couples of months, I did not have access to money,” he stated. He also mentioned that their lawyer at the time, Festus Keyamo (now Minister of Aviation), suggested a financial sharing formula to address the disputes.
Peter further explained that after P-Square reunited in November 2021, he discovered a new company, Northside Music Limited, with a similar name to their former management company. He said his suspicions grew when he was unable to access financial records or backend data showing income from the group’s music.
He testified that repeated efforts to get clarity from both his twin brother Paul and Jude were unsuccessful. Jude allegedly told Peter that his share of the money was with people in South Africa, but Peter said he was not interested in the money itself—he simply wanted to see the statements and understand what was happening.
Peter said, “Then I went to my twin brother, Paul, who replied ‘You know that I don’t know anything about it but Jude.’” He explained that after getting no solid response, he reached out to bank officials for answers, but they too were unable to explain the situation.
Jude Okoye has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The case has been adjourned for further hearing.
