Court adjourns ex-P-Square manager Jude Okoye’s N1.38bn fraud case to April 14
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The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has adjourned the trial of Jude Okoye Chigozie, former manager and elder brother of music duo P-Square, to April 14, 2025. The adjournment, announced by Justice Alexander Owoeye on Monday, March 3, follows Okoye’s arraignment on charges of money laundering filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Okoye, alongside his company, Northside Music Limited, faces a seven-count charge linked to alleged financial misconduct. One of the charges states:
"That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Limited, sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos worth ?850,000,000.00 (Eight hundred and fifty million naira) only, which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022."
Upon his arraignment on February 26, 2025, Okoye pleaded "not guilty" to all charges.
Bail Granted Despite EFCC’s Objections
At Monday’s hearing, defense counsel Inibehe Effiong moved a bail application for Okoye, citing medical reasons. However, EFCC’s prosecuting counsel Fanen Anum opposed the request, arguing that the defendant posed a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses.
Justice Owoeye, while noting that the charges were bailable, granted Okoye bail in the sum of N100 million, with two sureties in like sum—one of whom must own landed property within the court’s jurisdiction. The court also directed that Okoye must notify the EFCC before traveling outside the jurisdiction.
With the next court session set for April 14, 2025, the case remains a high-profile legal battle, drawing attention from both the entertainment industry and anti-corruption agencies.
