Peter Okoye told a Lagos court he received about $800,000 in P-Square royalties from SACEM and did not give Jude Okoye a share of that money
Peter Okoye, the singer from the defunct group P-Square, told Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos that he received about $800,000 in P-Square royalties from SACEM and did not give his elder brother, Jude Okoye, a share of those payments.
The admission came on Monday, 21 September 2026, while Peter Okoye was being cross-examined by Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, counsel to Jude Okoye.
Jude Okoye and his company, Northside Music Limited, are standing trial on a seven count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The charge alleges fraud of N1.3 billion and $1 million. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
SACEM is the French society that collects and pays music royalties to writers, composers and publishers.
Counsel put it to Peter Okoye that he had asked for backend royalty records on 16 October 2022 and that Jude Okoye sent them six days later, on 22 October. Peter Okoye disagreed. He said he had asked earlier in 2022.
Asked for a text, email or other document dated before 16 October 2022, he said: “No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall.”
He accepted that he received the report Jude Okoye sent. He also accepted that it covered royalties from 2016 to 2022, including figures linked to Lex Records.
The request, he said, was tied to people who wanted to buy the P-Square catalogue. He confirmed that the EFCC knew the report had reached him.
He disputed Jude Okoye’s claim to money paid through SACEM. Those sums, he said, belonged to him and his twin, Paul Okoye.
Counsel said the SACEM contract was signed by Jude Okoye, not by Peter Okoye or Paul Okoye. Peter Okoye replied that it was signed by “the team” and that Jude Okoye was not part of that team.
He accepted that the 10 songs for which SACEM paid were P-Square songs.
He said he had once paid Jude Okoye a quarter of his SACEM share, but denied that Jude Okoye demanded quarterly payments after a 2022 reconciliation.
Faced with the figure of about $800,000 received from SACEM between 2016 and 2026, he admitted the money and said none of it went to his brother.
Asked whether he told Jude Okoye about the payments, he answered: “No, the money was for the artists.”
Asked what he paid Jude Okoye as manager, he said there was no employment contract with him personally. The arrangement, he said, ran through Northside Entertainment Limited.
“Jude is not part of P-Square,” he said.
He maintained that he and Paul Okoye composed, wrote and produced the group’s songs, while accepting that Jude Okoye directed some of the videos.
The contested family business now sits in a criminal court, not a studio argument. Nothing in Monday’s hearing decided guilt. Justice Alexander Owoeye adjourned further hearing to 8 and 9 December 2026.
