The long-running rift among the Okoye brothers of the famed Afropop duo P-Square has taken a dramatic turn, as Peter Okoye testified in court against his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, in a case involving alleged financial misappropriation amounting to ₦1.38 billion.
Peter appeared as a witness before Justice A. Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, as part of a criminal trial initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited. The EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that Jude is facing a seven-count charge bordering on fraud and money laundering.
One of the charges alleges that Jude, in 2022, acquired a luxury property in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, valued at ₦850 million using funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity—an offence under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Jude pleaded not guilty upon arraignment on February 26, 2025.
During his testimony, Peter Okoye detailed the internal disputes that plagued the P-Square business operations prior to their 2017 split and even after their 2021 reunion. He disclosed that Jude held sole signatory rights to the group’s accounts at Ecobank, Zenith Bank, and FCMB, which sparked recurring disagreements.
“We started having issues with how Jude was handling the group’s finances,” Peter said. “Even when we were building our houses in Ikoyi, the funding for mine stopped midway. I was told, ‘As you leave P-Square, you leave the money.’”
Peter explained that the group’s legal adviser at the time, now Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had to intervene to create a financial sharing formula. Yet, the lack of transparency persisted.
The situation worsened in 2022 when Peter discovered a separate entity—Northside Music Limited—which he said bore striking similarities to their original company, Northside Entertainment. According to Peter, Jude and his wife are listed as directors of the company, with his wife holding 80% ownership.
Peter told the court he began investigating the group’s digital royalties and backend revenue—payments from music streaming and licensing—after buyers inquired about acquiring P-Square’s catalogue. He claimed that access to financial records was denied, and attempts to retrieve backend data revealed signs of tampering, which significantly devalued the group’s catalogue.
“I received over $22,000 from a new aggregator three months after switching. That’s when I realized something was wrong,” he said. “When I finally accessed the backend data, it had been altered—numbers didn’t match up, and figures were missing.”
Peter also testified that when he approached Paul Okoye, his twin brother, for clarity, he received evasive responses. He added that even bank officials confirmed that instructions had been given not to share account information with him, suggesting that legal intervention was the only recourse.
The courtroom revelations add to the public fallout between the brothers, whose split in 2017 shocked fans across Africa. Though they reconciled in 2021, this legal dispute has reopened old wounds.
