Rita Odafe
In a surprising turn of events in the ongoing fraud trial concerning Nigerian music icon Peter Okoye of P-Square and his former manager Jude Okoye, defense attorney Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, accused Peter of deliberately misleading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with false and conflicting statements.
The EFCC has brought four charges against Peter and his company, Northside Music Ltd.
One of the charges claims that Jude and Northside Music Limited fraudulently took $767,544.15 for personal use.
Peter, however, has denied the allegations.
During his testimony on May 16, Peter described how he was allegedly deceived by his brother Jude and Northside Entertainment.
Yet, according to reports from Vanguard, during cross-examination on Friday, defense lawyer Onwuenwunor pointedly informed the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, overseen by Justice Rahman Oshodi, that Peter’s statements were full of inconsistencies and outright falsehoods, aiming to mislead the EFCC and damage Jude Okoye’s reputation.
During a tense cross-examination, the defense challenged Peter’s prior assertion to the EFCC that he was a graduate of the University of Abuja.
In contrast, Onwuenwunor revealed that Peter had actually left the school before completion.
When faced with the gap between his spoken claims and his written testimony to the EFCC, Peter tried to clarify that he had only stated he “attended” the university.
However, the defense presented EFCC records where Peter explicitly referred to himself as a “graduate,” forcing him to acknowledge in court that he had not finished his studies.
Onwuenwunor then introduced documents showing that both Peter and his twin brother Paul were not only knowledgeable about but also had access to the banking accounts of Northside Entertainment Limited.
This countered Peter’s previous assertion that Jude Okoye was the only signatory and that he had no financial access, as the defense produced a bank mandate indicating that Jude was a Category A signatory, while Peter and Paul were designated as Category B signatories.
Additionally, the defense provided bank records that indicated Peter personally withdrew significant amounts in cash from the company’s account.
There were also multiple transfers made directly to him by Jude Okoye, contradicting Peter’s sworn statement that he had never financially benefited from the company or any arrangements under Jude’s management.
Onwuenwunor also interrogated Peter regarding his statements about royalty payments from Mad Solutions, the company managing the P-Square music catalog.
Peter had previously claimed ignorance of the agreement with Mad Solutions and mentioned that he received only $25,000 and $20,000 in royalties, suggesting Jude had taken a larger share.
However, the defense disproved this version by providing documents to the court that confirmed all three parties—Jude, Peter, and Paul—had signed the agreement with Mad Solutions and were entitled to equal shares of the royalties.
The documents revealed that Peter had actually received $4,330.47 and $5,837.35 as his first and second payments, significantly less than the $25,000 and $20,000 he testified to under oath.
“Peter’s statements to the EFCC are filled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations. He has repeatedly made claims that have now been proven false through cross-examination. This is not merely forgetfulness but a deliberate attempt to mislead both investigators and this esteemed court,” Onwuenwunor asserted in court.
Justice Oshodi, upon accepting multiple bank documents and EFCC statements as evidence, urged the defense to ensure all documentation is provided to the prosecution before the next proceedings.
“If you plan to present a document, please share it with the prosecution to expedite the trial,” the judge remarked.
The trial has been scheduled to continue on October 10 and 17, 2025.
