A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Clement Onwuenwunor, told the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday that Nigerian music star Peter Okoye of P-Square made false statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to mislead investigators in an ongoing fraud trial related to royalties and company finances.

During a cross-examination before Justice Alexander Owoeye, Onwuenwunor accused Peter of deliberate falsehoods concerning his education, access to company funds, and royalty entitlements. The lawyer challenged Peter’s claim in his EFCC statement that he graduated from the University of Abuja, pointing out that records show he dropped out at 100 level.

“Mr. P, on page A5 of your EFCC statement, you claimed to be a graduate. That is untrue. You dropped out at 100 level,” Onwuenwunor said.

Peter responded by saying, “I went to UNIABUJA, but that’s not why I’m here. I dropped out at 300 level and took a transcript to UST (University of Science and Technology), Port Harcourt.” When asked if he had any certificate or document to confirm graduation from UST, Peter admitted, “No.”

The contradictions and Peter’s combative tone prompted Justice Owoeye to caution him for disrespecting the court and addressing the defence counsel rudely. His lawyer, M.K. Bashir, also intervened several times to control Peter’s outbursts.

Peter had earlier testified that Jude Okoye’s wife, Ifeoma, owned 80% of Northside Music Limited while Jude held 20%. However, the defence presented the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration certificate showing that Jude owns 80%, and his wife owns 20%. Peter admitted that his initial testimony was incorrect when confronted with the document.

Onwuenwunor also challenged Peter’s claim that he was not a signatory to Northside Music Ltd’s accounts. In his EFCC statement, Peter said Jude was the sole signatory and that he had no access. The defence, however, presented a signed account mandate indicating Jude as a Category A signatory, with Peter and his twin brother Paul as Category B signatories.

“This proves you had access to the accounts all along,” Onwuenwunor said while showing the document to the judge.

Bank statements from Ecobank, admitted as Exhibit P, showed royalty payments from Lex Records via Mad Solutions Limited, the company managing P-Square’s music catalogue. Peter had told the EFCC he was unaware of any royalty payments and never received proceeds. The Ecobank statements, however, revealed consistent royalty transfers to the Northside Entertainment account from 2012 to 2017, which the defence said Peter shared from the start.

Onwuenwunor said the inconsistencies in Peter’s statements were part of an effort to distort facts and mislead both the EFCC and the court.

Justice Owoeye adjourned the case to October 23 and November 10, 2025, for further cross-examination and continuation of the trial.