Jude Okoye, the former manager of the now-defunct P-Square music group, has regained his freedom after spending more than two months in custody at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. His release came amidst an ongoing legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has accused him of theft, money laundering, and criminal conversion involving over ₦1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.
Jude was released on Wednesday evening and was warmly welcomed by his family in a private celebration. His younger brother and artist Paul Okoye, better known as Rudeboy, confirmed the news via Instagram stories. One of the clips showed Jude arriving home and embracing his wife and children.
In one of the captions, Paul wrote, “Jude is finally out after 2 months +… All their efforts to frustrate his bail have finally collapsed. Welcome home, brother. #judeengees. And happy birthday.”
The emotional homecoming also doubled as a birthday celebration for Jude, with close friends and celebrities in attendance. Notable figures like music video director Clarence Peters, former NFF President Amaju Pinnick, singer J. Martins, and actor Deyemi Okanlawon were spotted at the gathering.
Jude’s legal troubles gained public attention, especially due to the role of his brother Peter Okoye (Mr P), who filed a petition with the EFCC. Peter alleged that Jude registered their joint record label, Northside Music Ltd, under his wife’s name and failed to be transparent about royalty distributions. He also claimed that monthly payments from Lex Records had significantly dropped from 2016 to 2021, leaving him financially sidelined.
Peter Obumuneme Okoye, as its first witness against Jude Chigozie Okoye, his elder brother and former Manager of Paul and Peter Okoye, aka PSquare, before Justice A. Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos narrated;
“The group, P-Square started sometime in 1997. But in 2017, it was disbanded. We stayed apart for about five years. But in November 2021, the group came back. Before Jude became our Manager, we had several managers, including Chioma Ugochi, who managed us when we were in the secondary school and in the University; and the late Bayo Odusami of Mbuntu music, who managed us for five years.
Thereafter, my twin brother and I managed the band for a couple of months before we decided that he (Jude) would manage us and Northside Entertainment Limited.
So, we continued running our business. But we were always having issues about how he was running the business. The issues were mainly about the fact that he was the sole signatory to all our bank accounts in Ecobank, Zenith and FCMB.
These issues lasted for a couple of months. I didn’t have access to the accounts until the current Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, who was our lawyer, said we needed a sharing formula.”
While giving further evidence, he recalled an incident when the brothers were building their houses in Ikoyi, saying
“The funding of the house project was by Northwest Entertainment Ltd. But they just stopped financing my house for six months. The accounts were owned by the company, while Jude was the only signatory to all the accounts. At some, I approached him and my twin brother, Paul, to know why they stopped financing my project. But what I heard from them was “As you leave P-square, u leave the money”.
Jude pleaded not guilty when arraigned, and although his legal team applied for bail, the court initially delayed the ruling at the prosecution’s request. He was later granted bail in a separate money laundering case involving suspicious property acquisitions and international transfers. Bail conditions included a ₦100 million bond and two sureties.
His release doesn’t signal the end of the legal proceedings, however. The money laundering trial is scheduled to continue on May 23, while the theft case involving Peter Okoye is expected to resume on June 4, when Peter is due back in court for cross-examination.
By Ezinne Okorie.
