Former P-Square manager Jude Okoye has dismissed allegations by his younger brother, Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, that he diverted more than $1.2 million in music royalties, insisting the claims have already been investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and are now before the court.
In a video posted on Instagram on Sunday, Jude accused Mr P of attempting to influence public opinion while the matter remains the subject of ongoing legal proceedings.
“You are trying to bait me. You know the court is not going to your favour,” Jude said. “Why are you dodging to make appearance in court? For three good sittings now, you dey dodge court.”
Responding to Mr P’s allegation that he and his twin brother, Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy, diverted a royalty payment of about $25,000, Jude maintained that the payment was made in line with instructions given by Mr P in 2016.
According to him, records from digital distributor IROKO show that Mr P requested his share of the royalties to be paid directly into his personal account, while the remaining balance belonging to Jude and Rudeboy was paid into the Northside Entertainment account.
“Peter’s money was sent to him directly… Peter knows this. This has been trashed by the EFCC. We are still in court. How do you explain this?” he said.
Jude also rejected claims that Mr P had been removed as a signatory to the group’s bank accounts, displaying what he described as the official bank mandate.
“Peter remained a signatory to all P-Square accounts,” he said, adding that the same documents had already been tendered before the court.
He further disputed Mr P’s claim that it took three and a half months to hand over the backend records for P-Square’s music catalogue, insisting the request was fulfilled within six days and that download logs showed Peter accessed the files immediately.
Jude also challenged Mr P’s assertion that he only recently began receiving royalty payments in US dollars, saying payment records indicate the singer had been paid in dollars since 2012.
Rejecting allegations that more than $1.2 million in royalties had been diverted, Jude insisted all payments were properly documented and distributed in accordance with existing agreements.
He also spoke about the personal impact of the ongoing legal dispute.
“They’ve frozen my account for over two years. For over two years, I can’t travel,” he said.
Jude maintained that he would not comment further on issues before the court beyond responding to what he described as “false narratives” circulating on social media.