The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Jude Okoye Chigozie, the elder brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye of the now-defunct P-Square music group, on February 26, 2025. The case was brought before Justice A.O. Owoeye at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos. Chigozie was arraigned alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd, on a seven-count charge related to money laundering involving significant sums—N1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.

According to one of the charges, in 2022, Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd allegedly acquired a property at No. 5 Tony Eromosele Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, valued at N850 million. The prosecution contends that Chigozie knew or ought to have known that the funds used for this purchase were proceeds of an unlawful act. The charge falls under Section 18 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which carries specific legal consequences.

Another count of the charge alleges that in 2022, Chigozie and his company used a bureau de change to convert $1,019,762.87 held in an Access Bank account belonging to Northside Music Ltd into naira and distributed the funds to various accounts. The prosecution argues that this action was intended to disguise the illicit origins of the money, making it an offense under Section 18 (2)(a) of the same law.

Chigozie pleaded not guilty to all charges. The EFCC’s legal representative, L.P. Aso, requested the court to set a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in a correctional facility. However, Chigozie’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, urged the court to hear his client’s bail application promptly and requested that he be held in EFCC custody instead of a correctional facility until the bail hearing.

The prosecution opposed this request, arguing that the EFCC’s detention facility was overcrowded with suspects awaiting trial. They insisted that, since Chigozie had already entered a plea, he should be held in a correctional facility rather than EFCC custody.

After considering both arguments, Justice Owoeye scheduled the bail hearing for February 28, 2025, and set April 14, 2025, for the trial to commence. In the meantime, the judge ordered that Chigozie be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.