The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has said it will investigate credible reports after a surge of social media discussion about alleged child abuse or misconduct in daycare settings in Nigeria.
The renewed attention followed the resurfacing of old X posts by singer Simi about her time helping at her mother’s daycare in 2012 and 2013. Some users online said they interpreted parts of those posts as inappropriate, though others rejected that view.
The discussion first gained prominence after Simi spoke out strongly against rape culture on social media. Critics then shifted focus to her past posts about children at the daycare.
In a statement on X, Simi defended the posts as innocent accounts of everyday life when she was 23 years old and not famous. She explained that she was describing normal interactions with children she saw at the daycare.
In her own words, Simi said, “In 2012, I lived and helped out at my mom’s daycare while I was hustling my music. I tweeted everything that happened in my life, as we all did at the time. Kids can be mischievous. If a child did something I found funny, I tweeted about it. Kids are cute and lovable. I want to hug, kiss and cuddle them. I tweet about it. Nothing I tweeted was from perversion.”
Despite her explanation, some users continued to call for formal review of the situation, urging authorities to examine the daycare more closely.
In response on Tuesday, NAPTIP issued a public notice on its official X page. The agency said it is committed to looking into all credible reports of child abuse or misconduct in daycare settings. It asked anyone with factual information, evidence, or direct knowledge of relevant events to contact the agency confidentially by direct message or by email at info@naptip.gov.ng.
The agency did not provide specific details about which posts or locations it was referring to in its notice.
