Peter Okoye admits receiving $800,000 P-Square royalties, denies sharing money with Jude

Peter Okoye, a former member of the music duo Psquare, has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that he received more than $800,000 in royalties from the French music rights organisation SACEM but did not give any portion of the money to his elder brother, Jude Okoye.

Peter gave the testimony on Monday while being cross-examined by Clement Onwuewunor (SAN), counsel to Jude, before Justice Alexander Owoeye.

SACEM is a French professional association responsible for collecting and distributing royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers.

Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited, are facing trial over alleged N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Jude has pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge filed against him and his company.

During the resumed proceedings, Peter was questioned about his earlier testimony that Jude took more than three months to provide him with Psquare’s backend royalty records after he requested them in 2022.

Jude’s counsel told the court 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, insisting that he had made the request earlier in the year.

When asked to provide a text message, email or document showing that he had made the request before October 16, 2022, Peter admitted: “No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall”.

Peter confirmed receiving the royalty report from Jude and acknowledged that it covered royalties from 2016 to 2022, including records connected to Lex Records.

He explained that the report was requested because some parties were interested in purchasing the Psquare music catalogue.

Peter also acknowledged that Jude sent him the account information in 2022 and that the EFCC was aware that the report had been forwarded to him.

However, he disputed Jude’s claim to royalties received through SACEM, maintaining that the payments belonged to him and his twin brother, Paul Okoye.

When informed that the SACEM contract had been signed by Jude rather than Peter or Paul, Peter maintained that it was signed by “the team” and insisted that Jude was not part of the team. He also acknowledged that the 10 songs for which SACEM paid royalties were Psquare songs.

Peter confirmed that he had previously paid Jude one-quarter of his SACEM share but denied that Jude demanded quarterly payments after their reconciliation in 2022.

When confronted with the claim that he received about $800,000 from SACEM between 2016 and 2026, Peter admitted receiving the money but said nothing was paid to Jude because the funds belonged to him and Paul.

Asked whether he informed Jude about the payments, Peter answered, “No, the money was for the artistes”.

When asked about payments made to Jude as manager of Psquare, Peter said he had no employment contract with him, explaining that their arrangement was through Northside Entertainment Limited.

Asked whether Jude was a member of Psquare, Peter replied: “Jude is not part of Psquare”.

When asked whether this meant Jude had no involvement in Psquare’s music, Peter maintained that he and Paul composed, wrote and produced all the group’s songs. He acknowledged, however, that Jude directed some of Psquare’s music videos.

The court has adjourned further hearing in the case until December 8 and 9, 2026.

Psquare rose to prominence in the early 2000s and became one of Africa’s leading music groups before splitting in 2017 following disagreements over Jude’s role as their manager.

The brothers reunited in 2021 and held their first headline concert that December.

However, Paul confirmed in 2024 that the group had split again and alleged that Peter was involved in his arrest by the EFCC.

In April, Peter announced that he had officially changed his birth date to November 30. In recent weeks, he has also accused Paul of attempting to damage his reputation.

In August, Peter accused Jude of excluding him from proceeds from their music catalogue, including a $25,000 payment, and alleged that he was not a signatory to one of the accounts used to receive their royalties.

Jude denied the allegations, while Paul said he was distancing himself from the dispute.