Nigerian singer Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy, has revealed that his twin brother, Peter, also known as Mr P, once had him arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) amid their longstanding feud.
Paul and Peter, who form the iconic music duo P-Square, are considered one of the biggest acts in Nigeria and Africa of this century.
The duo rose to fame in the 2000s with their Afropop hits, but an acrimonious split in the mid-2010s led to their separation for several years.
Although they recently reunited and went on tour together, rumors of another split have surfaced, which Rudeboy has now confirmed.
In a recent interview with City FM, he disclosed that he and his brother are no longer performing together and shared that Mr P was involved in having the EFCC question him.
The singer-songwriter mentioned that he was summoned by the EFCC earlier this year to clarify his financial dealings dating back to 2006.
“I am not saying anything to condemn anybody but I think the fans need to start knowing so they do not feel as if ‘what is going on?’ There is nothing that is going on,” Rudeboy said.
“It happened like December last year (the split). I was invited by the EFCC this year. They wrote a petition against me and my elder brother (Jude Okoye). I never thought it would get to this part. I thought it was just music.
“Next thing, people were asking me what I did. Someone was saying I would go to jail for 20 years. When I arrived, they printed all my account statements and put them on the table.
“The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘What if I was into a dubious business in the past like Yahoo? ‘Na so my brother for finish me?’
“But I took it. They started an investigation. There was a time when they started asking me some questions that I was not comfortable with.
“When I knew it was getting serious was when they said I should get a surety, a lawyer.
“One month ago, they called me, my twin brother and our elder brother (Jude Okoye) and said, ‘First of all, we have to say that after all investigations, Paul is innocent. Paul is cleared. Everything you accused him of, we’ve done our investigation and he’s innocent.’
“Even though I was proven innocent, my twin brother didn’t apologise for the false accusations,” he said.
P-Square released seven studio albums together, including major hits like Get Squared, Game Over, and The Invasion. Their music, characterized by its uptempo African pop sound, earned them numerous local, continental, and international awards.
The duo first split in 2016 following a disagreement over the role of their older brother, who was also their manager.
The feud came to an end in November 2021, and they marked their comeback with their first joint performance as P-Square in five years.
