The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled in favor of Mr. Patrick Arueze in a long-standing breach of contract case against the popular music duo P-Square, consisting of Peter and Paul Okoye, and their brother Jude Okoye. The court has ordered the Okoyes to pay Arueze approximately N25 million in damages.
The case dates back to 2011 when Arueze invited P-Square to perform at a show in Benin City, but the team failed to show up. Arueze subsequently filed a lawsuit against them in the Edo State High Court, presided over by Justice Esther Edigin, for breach of contract.
The Okoyes attempted to reverse the judgment through a motion dated October 3, 2016, but the court dismissed their appeal. Dissatisfied with the decision, the artistes filed a motion for stay of execution at the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, which was also dismissed. The musicians later issued a cheque through a commercial bank to settle the matter.
However, when Arueze presented the cheque to the bank, the Okoyes instructed their lawyers to file another motion at the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, to stop the payment. The court dismissed this motion as well, deeming it frivolous.
Undeterred, the Okoyes then filed a motion at the Supreme Court, seeking to appeal against the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had dismissed their motion to stop the payment of the cheque they had issued. They also joined the bank in the motion, a decision that was faulted by opposing counsels, as the bank was not a party to the suit at the Court of Appeal.
Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji concurred with the arguments presented by Mr. Patrick Arueze’s legal team, led by E. O. Afolabi, SAN, Dr. Samson Osage, Mrs. Nosa Festus Ajayi, and others. The Supreme Court struck out the Okoyes’ application and awarded an additional one million naira in costs against them.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyer