Fresh details have emerged in the ongoing alleged $1million theft case involving Jude Chigozie Okoye, elder brother and former manager of the music duo P-Square, as the trial resumed on Friday before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.
Jude Okoye and his company, Northside Music Limited, are currently facing a four-count charge filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of funds exceeding $1million. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
During the proceedings, the first prosecution witness (PW1), Peter Obumuneme Okoye — one half of P-Square — told the court that the defendant’s wife holds 800,000 shares in Northside Music Limited.
When defence counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), presented bank statements linked to the company, the witness insisted the accounts were jointly operated for P-Square’s business activities.
“These statements of account belong to me and my brother. We are P-Square. The company belongs to Peter and Paul. It was registered by him,” Peter testified.
He added that he petitioned the EFCC after noticing suspicious fund movements and later discovered another entity, Northside Entertainment Company, allegedly diverting revenue from their joint ventures.
“My lord, we own an entertainment company together, and I discovered another company diverting our funds. I showed it to my brother,” he told the court.
The defence attempted to tender additional documents purportedly attached to the original petition sent to the EFCC. However, prosecution counsel M.K. Bashir objected, arguing the documents were public records that did not meet the requirements for admissibility.
Justice Oshodi upheld the objection, ruling that although the documents came from the Corporate Affairs Commission and were later kept in EFCC custody, they were not in proper legal form.
“I reject the documents and mark them as rejected,” the judge declared.
The matter was adjourned to February 20 and 27, 2026, for continuation of trial.
This case stems from long-standing internal disputes within the Okoye family following P-Square’s 2017 split and recurring disagreements over revenue distribution, corporate ownership, and management of their entertainment businesses.
The EFCC initiated its investigation after reviewing the petition, financial records, and corporate documents submitted by Peter Okoye, eventually bringing the charges currently before the court.
Given the high-profile nature of the Okoye family in Nigeria’s entertainment landscape, the trial continues to attract widespread public attention.
