This study presents a sociolinguistic and literary analysis of Sam Ukala's "Skeletons: A Collection of Stories", highlighting the author's intentional use of Nigerian English to reflect socio-cultural dynamics and achieve artistic and thematic objectives. While Ukala's literary contributions, especially in folklore and theatre, have received significant scholarly attention, less focus has been given to the linguistic textures of his prose, particularly through William Labov's Variability Theory. This paper addresses that gap by using purposive sampling to select excerpts and analyse linguistic features across phonological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels. Results show that Ukala's characters primarily use three varieties of English: Standard Nigerian English, Nigerian Pidgin, and a bilingual register mixing English with indigenous languages. These are influenced by social class, education, and interference from the indigenous language. Beyond mere linguistic choices, these patterns deepen character development, satirise societal norms, assert cultural identity, and enhance thematic richness. Ukala's lexical innovations and syntactic experiments go beyond nativisation, serving as literary devices that energise his stories, critique the postcolonial condition, and incorporate orality into written language. Ultimately, this research contributes to debates in sociolinguistics and African literary studies, reaffirming Nigerian English as both a means of communication and a narrative strategy while demonstrating the role of literature in capturing language change and expressing cultural memory, identity, and resistance.