Alleged $1m Theft: Ex-P-Square Manager, Jude Okoye’s Wife Owns 800,000 Shares in Company-Witness
The first prosecution witness (PW1), Peter Obumuneme Okoye, in the ongoing trial of Jude Chigozie Okoye, an elder brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye, has told Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, that the defendant’s wife owns 800,000 shares in Northside Music Limited.
Okoye, alongside his company, Northside Music Limited, is
being prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a four-count charge bordering on theft to the tune
of over $1m.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to
him.
At the resumed trial of the matter on Friday,
December 12, 2025, defence counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN) confronted
the witness with the statements of account belonging to Northside Music
Limited, detailing some transactions over a period of time
The PW1, however, stated the bank statements belonged to
their joint business interest, saying, “These statements of account belong to
me and my brother. We are P-Square. The company belongs to Peter and Paul. It
was registered by him. I reported to the EFCC when I discovered funds were
being diverted, and EFCC brought the matter to court".
“My lord, we own an entertainment company together, and I
discovered another company, Northside Entertainment Company diverting our
funds. I showed it to my brother.”
He also confirmed that he petitioned the EFCC through his
lawyer, and that the defendant’s wife owns 800,000 shares in the company in
question.
The defence counsel, thereafter, sought to tender documents
attached to the original petition submitted to the EFCC, insisting the
documents were vital to their case
However, the prosecution counsel M. K. Bashir, objected to
their admissibility, arguing that “the documents are public documents.
“The defence merely produced copies stamped as Certified True
Copies (CTC). They were not attached to the petition, and they were not
in proper legal form.” He, therefore, urged the court to reject
them.
In a short ruling, Justice Oshodi ruled that although the
documents originated from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and ended in
the EFCC’s custody, they did not meet the admissibility requirements of the
court.
“I reject the documents and mark them as rejected,” the judge
held.
The PW1 also confirmed that he wrote a statement at the EFCC
after the petition was submitted by his lawyer.
The case was adjourned till February 20 and 27, 2026 for continuation of trial.
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