Peter Okoye
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Peter ‘Mr P’ Okoye, one half of the now-defunct music duo P-Square, has testified against his elder brother and former manager of the group, Jude.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Jude is standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd, on a four-count charge relating to alleged misappropriation of $1 million and £34,537.
In a statement on the EFCC X page on Saturday, the anti-graft agency disclosed that the trial, held before an Ikeja Special Offences Court, resumed on Friday.
Jude was previously granted bail for N50 million on 6 March.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, the commission presented Mr P as its first prosecution witness.
While giving evidence, the singer, led in testimony by the prosecution counsel, Mohammed Bashir, told the court that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, owned substantial shares in Northside Music Ltd (Jude’s company).
The ‘Winning’ crooner said: “I went to the EFCC with my lawyer to submit the petition on January 22, 2024. I initially wrote Northside Music as the respondent. However, upon various investigations by the Commission, it was discovered that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, owns the company because she owns 80 per cent of the shares. In comparison, Jude retains the remaining 20 per cent.
“I submitted the petition, and I never spoke to either Paul or Jude until early April 2024, when the EFCC asked if my twin brother was involved, and I said I did not know. The commission discovered over 47 bank accounts used by Jude to receive royalties.”
Northside Music
According to him, Jude was subsequently invited and detained by the EFCC following his petition.
The singer added that while Jude did not deny committing the alleged offence, Peter’s twin, Paul, also known as Rudeboy, told Peter during a meeting at the EFCC office that Jude is the majority owner of P-Square.
Mr P insisted that he was unaware of Northside Music’s establishment or of Jude’s purported ownership of P-Square.
“Paul told me Jude owns 40 per cent, while the two of us (Mr P and Rudeboy) own 30 per cent each. Ifeoma was never part of our engagement, and I was unaware that Northside Music was registered.
“Northside Music, according to my findings, was registered in 2015 and had been operating illegally, two years before our break-up”, he noted.
Following his testimony, the prosecution sought to tender the petition dated 22 January 2024.
The lead counsel for the defendants, Clement Onwuenwunor, did not object to the petition’s admissibility.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to 23 May for continuation of the trial.
Previous proceedings
The EFCC noted that during the previous proceedings, Mr P informed the court that he and Rudeboy began their music career in 1999. Premium Times
