The high-profile $1 million and £34,537 fraud trial involving Peter Okoye (Mr. P) of P-Square and their former manager Jude Okoye has taken a dramatic turn, as the Defence Counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, accused Peter of making misleading statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Appearing before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Friday, 23 May 2025, the senior advocate presented a series of documents to counter Mr. P’s claims, revealing alleged inconsistencies and half-truths in his testimony.
Under intense cross-examination, Onwuenwunor confronted Peter with his EFCC statement where he claimed to be a graduate of the University of Abuja—an assertion he later recanted, admitting he had dropped out. The defence cited the EFCC’s own report as evidence.
Digging deeper, the SAN dismantled Peter’s testimony regarding access to Northside Entertainment Limited’s finances. Contrary to his claims of being shut out, bank records and mandate forms submitted in court showed that Peter and his twin, Paul, were category B signatories on the company’s accounts—while Jude held category A.
More damning was the revelation of multiple withdrawals and transfers from the company accounts to Mr. P, including dollar and naira transactions. These records, the defence argued, undermine Peter’s position that he never received payments or royalties during and after the group’s fallout.
In another twist, the defence presented documents from Mad Solutions, a company contracted by all three parties to manage P-Square’s music catalogue. While Peter claimed he had received only $25,000 and $20,000 as first and second payments respectively, the verified figures were far lower—$4,330.47 and $5,837.35—paid equally to each brother.
The court admitted several exhibits, including account statements, and Justice Oshodi instructed the defence to provide all documents to the prosecution to avoid trial delays.
“If you intend to use a document, make it available to them to make the trial faster,” the judge remarked.
The trial is set to continue on 10 and 17 October 2025.
