None of it went to his elder brother, Jude. That disclosure, made under cross-examination in a Lagos court, sits at the center of a fraud trial that is pulling one of Nigeria’s biggest musical legacies apart in public.
Peter testified virtually before a Federal High Court in Lagos during cross-examination.
Clement Onwuewunor, SAN, counsel to Jude Okoye, conducted the cross-examination before Justice Alexander Owoeye. The session produced admissions that directly cut against the version of events Peter had offered earlier in the proceedings.
Peter was questioned about his earlier claim that Jude took more than three months to provide P-Square’s backend royalty records after he requested them in 2022. When confronted with the claim that he received approximately $800,000 from SACEM between 2016 and 2026, Peter admitted receiving the money.
Asked whether he informed Jude about the payments, Peter replied: “No, the money was for the artists.”
Peter made the disclosure while testifying virtually before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos. Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited, are facing a seven-count charge brought by the EFCC over alleged N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
SACEM is a French organization that collects and distributes royalties to songwriters, composers, and publishers.
Peter confirmed that the 10 songs for which SACEM paid royalties were P-Square songs. Yet he maintained the money had nothing to do with Jude.
Counsel put it to him that the SACEM contract was signed by Jude rather than Peter or Paul. Peter maintained that the agreement was signed by “the team,” insisting that Jude was not part of the team. The contradiction is plain: the man who signed the contract is the man Peter says had no standing to benefit from it.
Peter further told the court that he had previously paid Jude a quarter of his SACEM share but denied that Jude demanded quarterly payments after their reconciliation in 2022.
On Jude’s role as manager, Peter said he had no employment contract with his elder brother, explaining that their arrangement was through Northside Entertainment Limited.
Peter maintained that Jude was not a member of P-Square, saying, “Jude is not part of P-Square.”
Peter acknowledged that Jude directed some of P-Square’s music videos but maintained that he and Paul composed, wrote, and produced the group’s songs. Directing videos, in Peter’s telling, did not earn Jude a seat at the royalty table.
At the resumed hearing, Peter, who testified virtually, was questioned about his earlier claim that Jude took more than three months to provide him with P-Square’s backend royalty records after he requested them in 2022.
Counsel told him that the request was made on October 16, 2022, and that Jude obtained and forwarded the records six days later, on October 22. Peter disagreed.
However, when asked to produce a text message, email, or other document showing that he made the request before October 16, he admitted that he could not.
“No. I don’t have any, and I can’t recall,” he said. That concession handed Jude’s legal team a moment; the defense will likely return to when proceedings resume.
Peter said he had no employment contract with his brother, explaining that their arrangement was through Northside Entertainment Limited.
Jude Okoye and Northside Music Limited are formally answering charges of laundering and misappropriating N1.3 billion and $1 million connected to the group’s earnings.
Peter also confirmed he received the royalty report Jude forwarded to him. That report covered royalties from 2016 to 2022, including records relating to Lex Records.
He explained that he had requested the report because some people were interested in buying the P-Square music catalogue. The EFCC, Peter confirmed, was already aware the report had been sent to him.
What the record shows is this: Peter received $800,000, paid Jude nothing, told Jude nothing, and cannot produce documentation supporting his timeline of events. Jude has pleaded not guilty to all charges, maintaining that his financial management of the group was transparent. The court has not made any finding of guilt against either party.
The court adjourned the case until December 8 and 9, 2026. By then, the question the proceedings have not yet answered will still be open: if Jude signed the SACEM contract and the songs are P-Square songs, what legal basis exists for excluding him from $800,000 in P-Square royalties?
