On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its first witness in the fraud trial involving Jude Chigozie Okoye and his company, Northside Music Ltd. The proceedings took place before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos.

Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P and one half of the P-Square duo, testified as the first prosecution witness (PW1) against his elder brother Jude, who formerly managed the group. Jude and Northside Music Ltd. face a four-count charge related to alleged theft totaling $1 million and £34,537.

Led by EFCC counsel Mohammed Bashir, Peter testified that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, held 80% ownership in Northside Music Ltd., while Jude owned the remaining 20%. He explained, “I filed a petition with the EFCC through my lawyer on January 22, 2024. Initially, I named Northside Music as the respondent. However, investigations revealed that Ifeoma was the primary shareholder.”

Peter added that after filing the petition, he did not contact Jude or his twin brother, Paul, until April 2024 when the EFCC asked whether Paul was involved. “I said I didn’t know. But during their investigation, EFCC found that Jude operated over 47 bank accounts to receive royalties,” he stated.

He further revealed that although both Paul and Jude were later summoned by the EFCC, only Jude was detained. “Jude never denied committing the act,” Peter said. “Paul later told me that Jude owns 40% of P-Square, while the rest of us own 30% each.”

Peter claimed he was unaware of the registration of Northside Music, which he discovered had been established in 2015 and was operating before the group split. “Ifeoma had no involvement in our professional activities. I only learned about Northside Music during my findings,” he said.

The prosecution then presented the petition dated January 22, 2024, which was admitted into evidence without objection from Jude’s lead counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN.

Earlier in his testimony, Peter recounted how he and Paul began their music career in 1999. In 2005/2006, they co-founded Northside Entertainment Ltd., where all three brothers were directors and shareholders. Jude was the sole signatory to the company’s three accounts at Eco Bank, FCMB, and Zenith Bank.

“Both Naira and Dollar accounts were under his control. When we split in 2017 and later reconciled in 2021, I received no royalties during that time,” Peter testified. “Before the split, all royalties were paid into Northside Entertainment Ltd.”

He also referenced two digital music aggregators—i-rocking.com and FreeMe Digital—which generated revenue from streams. “Once people played our music, it produced income through these platforms,” he said.

After the group’s reunion, Peter went solo as Mr P and hired a new manager. He then discovered discrepancies in royalty payments, which led him to investigate Northside Music. “While touring in London, we were approached by buyers interested in our music catalog, but they needed backend access. After failed attempts to retrieve it from Jude, I realized he had altered the original backend. This caused at least seven potential buyers to walk away,” he revealed.

The trial was adjourned to May 23, 2025, for further proceedings