Singer Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has admitted in court to receiving over $800,000 in musical royalties from international collective rights organization SACEM, revealing that he did not give his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, any portion of the funds.

According to a report by Instablog9ja, Peter made the admission on Tuesday while testifying virtually before Justice Alexander Owoeye at the Federal High Court in Lagos during cross-examination by Jude’s legal counsel, Clement Onwuewunor, SAN.

The testimony comes amid an ongoing seven-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Jude Okoye and his company, Northside Music Limited, over an alleged ₦1.3 billion and $1 million fraud. Jude has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During the court session, Peter was questioned regarding his earlier claim that Jude took over three months to provide P-Square’s backend royalty records following a formal request in 2022. When defense counsel pointed out that the request made on October 16 was fulfilled within six days, Peter insisted he had made prior unrecorded requests.

When asked by the defense to present proof of those earlier requests, Peter admitted, "No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall.".

The singer confirmed receiving the royalty statement, which detailed backend income generated between 2016 and 2022, explaining that the audit was initiated because third-party investors were expressing interest in purchasing the P-Square music catalog.

Addressing the $800,000 received from SACEM, Peter maintained that Jude was deliberately excluded from the payout because the funds belonged strictly to the performing members of the group.

When asked if he had notified Jude about the incoming transactions, Peter replied, "No, the money was for the artists." He added, "Jude is not part of P-Square."

While acknowledging that Jude had directed several of P-Square’s most iconic music videos over their decade-spanning career, Peter emphasized that the creative output, including song composition, writing, and music production, was strictly executed by himself and his twin brother, Paul Okoye.

Justice Owoeye subsequently adjourned the matter to December 8 and 9, 2026, for the continuation of trial and further cross-examination.

The iconic Afrobeats duo comprising twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye, along with their elder brother and long-time manager Jude Okoye, has experienced a series of public rifts and business disputes since 2016, leading to multiple group breakups and ongoing legal battles over catalog ownership, revenue splits, and corporate governance.

ID