By Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Clement Onwuenwunor, on Wednesday, told the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, that Nigerian music star Peter Okoye of P-Square made false claims in his statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a bid to mislead investigators in an ongoing fraud trial involving royalties and company finances.
The revelation came during a tense cross-examination session in the courtroom presided over by Justice Alexander Owoeye, where Onwuenwunor accused Peter of deliberate falsehoods regarding his education, access to company funds, and royalty entitlements.
The defence counsel told the court that Peter falsely claimed in his EFCC statement that he was a graduate of the University of Abuja, whereas records show that he dropped out at the 100 level.
“Mr P, on page A5 of your EFCC statement, you claimed to be a graduate. That is untrue. You dropped out at 100 level,” Onwuenwunor said pointedly.
In response, Peter attempted to shift his position, saying, “I went to UNIABUJA, but that’s not why I’m here. I dropped out at 300 level and took a transcript to UST (University of Science and Technology), Port Harcourt.”
Pressed further on whether he had any certificate or document to prove graduation from UST, Peter admitted, “No.”
The contradiction, along with his combative tone, drew the ire of Justice Owoeye, who was forced to caution him for disrespecting the court and addressing the defence counsel rudely.
His lawyer, M.K. Bashir, also had to intervene more than once to restrain his client’s outbursts.
Peter, in his testimony, had earlier stated that Jude Okoye’s wife, Ifeoma, owned 80% of Northside Music Limited, while Jude held 20%.
But the defence presented the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration certificate, showing that Jude Okoye holds 80%, while his wife owns 20%.
Confronted with this document in court, Peter admitted that his initial testimony was incorrect.
The defence also accused Peter of lying about not being a signatory to Northside Music Ltd’s accounts.
In his EFCC statement, Peter claimed Jude was the sole signatory and that he had no access.
However, Onwuenwunor presented a signed account mandate confirming Jude as a Category A signatory, while Peter and his twin brother, Paul Okoye, were both Category B signatories.
“This proves you had access to the accounts all along,” Onwuenwunor said, holding up the document before the judge.
The defence further tendered bank statements from Ecobank, admitted as Exhibit P, which detailed royalty payments from Lex Records via Mad Solutions Limited, the company in charge of managing P-Square’s music catalogue.
Peter had earlier told the EFCC that he was unaware of any royalty payments and had never received proceeds from them.
But the Ecobank statement showed consistent royalty transfers to the Northside Entertainment account from 2012 to 2017—proceeds which the defence insisted Peter shared from the beginning.
Onwuenwunor told the court that the inconsistencies in Peter’s statements were part of a broader effort to distort facts and mislead both the EFCC and the court.
Justice Owoeye subsequently adjourned the case to Friday, October 23, and Tuesday, November 10, 2025, for the continuation of cross-examination and trial.
