In a shocking revelation, Nigerian singer Skales has opened up about a night he was forced to perform his hit songs Shake Body and Emergency inside a police cell all to secure better treatment from fellow inmates.
Speaking during a candid interview shared by Zikoko Media, the musician recounted how he ended up behind bars due to a power struggle involving his manager and a wealthy Nigerian billionaire.
Trouble with a billionaire
According to him, the incident began when his manager got into a dispute with a Nigerian billionaire. Without warning, the police swooped in and arrested the manager. He was told he could leave. But the singer refused.
“One time, my manager and I were locked up for no reason,” he said. “They told me to go home, but I said, how can you arrest my manager and I just leave?”
The Musician insisted on following the police to the station. He wanted to write a statement to defend his manager. But things quickly took a turn. Instead of allowing him to leave after writing, the officers informed Skales that he would also spend the night in the cell.
Recognition in the cell
Inside the cell, he faced a tense atmosphere. But soon, one of the inmates recognized him. “One guy said I looked like Skales,” he recounted. “I told him, I am Skales.”
The inmate was shocked. He asked how someone like him could end up in jail. He explained the situation. The inmate, familiar with such stories, sighed and told him, “That’s how these billionaires do.” Shockingly, the inmate even offered to “help” he takes revenge on the billionaire. But he firmly refused, telling him to forget about it.
Singing for a sleeping spot
The encounter didn’t end there. The inmate warned Skales that if he didn’t show respect to the cell’s leader or “boss” the other inmates would make life difficult for him.
“So, they took me to the boss,” Skales explained. “When he heard I was Skales, he asked me which song I wanted to perform. He even sang some lines from Emergency.”
The boss then made him an offer: if he performed for the group, they would let him sleep on a mat. Without the performance, he would have to join the rest of the inmates sleeping directly on the cold floor.
The musician agreed, he sang his hits Shake Body and Emergency for the inmates, delivering a shameless performance inside the police cell. “I performed everything,” he said. “Afterward, the boss actually felt bad for me. He said, this boy doesn’t deserve to be here.”
Surviving on family support
Life inside the cell was rough. According to him, inmates rely entirely on money sent by family members to the police to buy food. Without that, they go hungry.
“When you’re in the cell, your family has to keep sending money so the police can buy you food,” he revealed. “If they don’t, you won’t eat.”
After his release, the experience stuck with him. Feeling grateful for the small kindness shown by the inmates, he returned with food to thank them. “When I left, I bought them a lot of food,” he said.
An unseen side of fame
In the interview, he admitted that few people know about this dark chapter in his life. It was one of several challenges he has faced in the music industry, many of which, he says, remain hidden from the public eye.
Despite his fame, his story reveals the harsh realities of power, influence, and survival in Nigeria. Even a hitmaker with chart-topping songs can find himself at the mercy of the system, forced to sing for a place to sleep.
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