Connect with us

Trending

Alleged $1m, £34,537 Fraud: EFCC Presents First Witness, Peter Okoye against Ex-P-Square Manager

Published

on

 

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, May 16, 2025, presented its first prosecution witness, PW1, Peter Obumuneme Okoye,( a.k.a Mr P) against Jude Chigozie Okoye, elder brother and former Manager of Paul and Peter Okoye, before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

Okoye is standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd., on a four-count charge bordering on alleged stealing to the tune of $1m and £34,537 .

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mohammed Bashir, the PW1 told the court that his brother’s wife, Ifeoma, owned 80 per cent of Northside Music Ltd, while Jude retained the remaining 20 percent shares.

He said: “ I went to the EFCC with my lawyer to submit the petition on January 22, 2024. I initially wrote Northside Music as the respondent. But upon various investigations carried out by the Commission, it was discovered that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, is the owner of the company because she owes 80 per cent shares, while Jude retains the remaining 20 per cent.

“I submitted the petition and I never spoke to either Paul or Jude until early April in 2024 when the EFCC asked if my twin brother was involved and I said I did not know.

“The Commission discovered there were over 47 bank accounts used by Jude to receive royalties.”

He also told the court that though both Paul and Jude were later invited by the Commission, the latter was detained.

In his further evidence, he said: “Jude never denied that he committed the crime. However, my twin brother told me during a meeting at the EFCC office that our elder brother owns P-Square.

“Paul told me Jude owns 40 per cent, while the two of us owe 30 per cent each.

“Ifeoma was never part of our engagement and I was not aware when Northside Music was registered.

“Northside Music, according to my findings, was registered in 2015 and had been operating illegally two years prior to our break-up.”

The prosecution, thereafter, sought to tender the petition dated January 22, 2024.

There was no objection to its admissibility by the lead counsel to the defendants, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN.

Earlier in the proceedings, the witness had told the court that he and his twin brother, Paul, started their music career in 1999.

He had also told the court that between 2005 and 2006, they floated a company, Northside Entertainment Ltd, where they were directors and shareholders.

He, however, said Jude was the sole signatory to the company’s three accounts domiciled in Eco Bank, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Zenith Bank.

“ They were both Naira and Dollar accounts and Jude was the sole manager of all the accounts.

“In September 2017, P-Square broke up and we came back together in November 2021.

“Within the period, I never received any royalty paid into our company.

“Before we broke up in 2017, every royalty was being paid into Northside Entertainment Ltd., where the three of us were shareholders.

“We have two aggregators (streaming platforms that generate income): I-rocking.com and Free me digital, which I was aware of.

“When people play our songs on their mobile phones, it generates income: and so, we receive funds from these two aggregators prior to our split.”

The PW1, who said he went solo as Mr P after the group broke up and got a different manager, further told court that “ When we got back without him being our manager, I discovered a similar company was run by our brother known as Northside Music.

“I started seeing some discrepancies in the way royalties were sent to me and my twin brother . When I went for a tour in London, some individual approached us if we would like to sell our catalogs, but they needed to see the back-end.

“After so much attempt to get the back-end from Jude, I discovered that he had tampered with the original one, which made over seven companies to have a rethink of purchasing the catalogs.”

The case was adjourned till May 23 for continuation of trial.

Trending

Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

Published

on

 

Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

Continue Reading

Trending

Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

Published

on

A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

Continue Reading

Trending

Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

Published

on

Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

Nigerian Man Seeks Wife Who Knows How To Cook Well With Firewood, Says His Mother Eats Only “Firewood Food”

Continue Reading

Trending