Afrobeats singer Skales has sparked a conversation with his thoughts on crime and justice in Nigeria, suggesting that the country’s relatively lower crime rate is tied to the fear of extrajudicial punishment.
Speaking during an interview on Just Vibes, which surfaced on X on Wednesday, the artist claimed that many potential offenders in Nigeria are discouraged by the threat of jungle justice — a practice where individuals take the law into their own hands and deal out punishment, often violently.
“There is lesser crime in Nigeria compared to the UK because they know if they [criminals] get caught, there is jungle justice. They burn you alive,” he said.
He drew a comparison with the UK, where he believes criminals act more boldly due to the absence of such extreme consequences.
While making his point, Skales was quick to clarify that he does not support jungle justice, describing it as an illegal and unfair approach to dealing with suspected offenders.
Beyond crime and justice, the singer also shared his perspective on the nature of Afrobeats. He explained that it’s difficult to assign a fixed sound to the genre, describing it instead as a broad musical category.
According to him, “Afrobeats” functions more as a collective label for different styles, rather than a singular genre with a clearly defined structure.
