a viral interview shared by Zikoko Media, Nigerian singer Skales recounted a shocking experience where he was forcefully locked up in a police cell due to a dispute between his manager and a powerful Nigerian billionaire.
“One time, my manager and I were locked up for no reason,” Skales revealed. “We had an issue with a billionaire. Just because of power, they arrested my manager and told me to go home. But I said, ‘How can you arrest my manager and expect me to just leave?’ I followed them to the police station.”
While writing a statement on behalf of his manager, Skales was unexpectedly told he would have to spend the night in the cell. “So I slept in the cell—and I ended up performing,” he said. “When I got there, one of the inmates recognized me. He said I looked like Skales. I told him, ‘I am Skales.’ He asked, ‘How come? What did you do—kill someone?’”
As he continued sharing the lesser-known hardships he faced in the music industry, Skales recalled that the inmates even offered to “take care of” the billionaire who had him arrested. “He offered to help me kill the billionaire, but I told him no—that he should just forget about it.”
Skales also described being pressured into performing his hit songs Shake Body and Emergency for better treatment in the cell. “One of them told me I’d have to perform if I wanted to sleep on a mat. Everyone else was sleeping on the floor. So I sang my songs—shamelessly—and they gave me a better spot.”
The inmates showed him a surprising amount of empathy. “One guy even said, ‘This boy doesn’t deserve to be here.’ But while you’re in the cell, your family has to send money to the police to buy you food—otherwise, you won’t eat. When I got out, I went back and bought them a lot of food to say thank you.”
Skales ended the story by recounting how he had to meet the “boss” of the cell to avoid being harassed by the other inmates. “They told me I had to greet their boss or the others would deal with me. When he found out I was Skales, he asked me to name the song I wanted to perform. He even mentioned Shake Body and Emergency—and sang a few lines from Emergency himself.”