Peter Okoye, a member of the defunct music duo Psquare, admitted on Monday, September 21, 2026, that he received more than $800,000 in royalties from French music rights organisation SACEM but did not give any share to his elder brother, Jude Okoye.
Okoye made the disclosure while testifying virtually before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos during cross-examination by Clement Onwueunwunor (SAN), counsel to Jude.
SACEM is a French professional association responsible for collecting and distributing music royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers.
Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited, are standing trial over allegations of N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Jude has pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge filed against him and his company.
During the resumed hearing, Peter was questioned about his earlier claim that Jude took more than three months to provide Psquare’s backend royalty records after he requested them in 2022.
Jude’s counsel told the court that Peter made the request on October 16, 2022, and that Jude obtained and forwarded the records six days later, on October 22.
Peter disagreed, insisting that he had made the request earlier in 2022.
However, when asked to produce a text message, email or other document showing that he made the request before October 16, 2022, Peter admitted that he could not provide one.
“No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall,” he told the court.
Peter confirmed that he received the royalty report sent by Jude and acknowledged that it covered royalties from 2016 to 2022, including records relating to Lex Records.
He explained that the report was requested because some parties were interested in purchasing the Psquare music catalogue.
Peter also confirmed that Jude forwarded the relevant account information to him in 2022 and that the EFCC was aware the report had been sent to him.
However, he disputed Jude’s entitlement to royalties paid through SACEM, maintaining that the payments belonged to him and his twin brother, Paul Okoye.
When told that the SACEM contract was signed by Jude rather than Peter or Paul, Peter maintained that it was signed by “the team” and insisted that Jude was not part of the team.
He acknowledged that the 10 songs covered by the SACEM payments were Psquare songs.
Peter also confirmed that he had previously paid a quarter of his SACEM share to Jude but denied that Jude demanded quarterly payments after their reconciliation in 2022.
When confronted with the claim that he received approximately $800,000 from SACEM between 2016 and 2026, Peter admitted receiving the money but said nothing was given to Jude because the funds were meant for him and Paul.
Asked whether he informed Jude about the payments, Peter replied: “No, the money was for the artistes.”
Peter also told the court that he had no employment contract with Jude and explained that the management arrangement was through Northside Entertainment Limited.
When asked whether Jude was part of Psquare, Peter replied: “Jude is not part of Psquare.”
He maintained that all Psquare songs were composed, written and produced by him and Paul, although he acknowledged that Jude directed some of the group’s music videos.
The court adjourned further hearing in the matter to December 8 and 9, 2026.
Psquare rose to prominence in the early 2000s and became one of Africa’s biggest music groups before splitting in 2017 following disagreements over Jude’s role as their manager.
The brothers reunited in 2021 and held their first headline concert that December. However, Paul confirmed in 2024 that the group had split again and alleged that Peter was involved in his arrest by the EFCC.
In August, Peter accused Jude of excluding him from proceeds from their music catalogue, including a $25,000 payment, and alleged that he was not a signatory to one of the accounts used to collect their royalties.
Jude denied the allegations, while Paul said he was distancing himself from the dispute.
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