Singer Simi, born Simisola Kosoko, has responded to criticism on social media after some of her old tweets resurfaced and triggered debate online.
The backlash comes as conversations around sexual violence and accountability have dominated Nigerian social media, particularly following a widely shared video of a TikTok user’s claim of rape that later proved to be false. Simi had used her platform to speak against rape, calling on men to hold peers accountable and insisting that sexual assault must not be normalised.
Some users dug up posts from her X account dating back over a decade and interpreted them as inappropriate.
Reacting on X on Sunday, Simi said she felt compelled to address the issue after the old tweets were brought to her attention.
“I haven’t been on Twitter today – but someone brought a few of my old tweets to my attention and I can’t not address it,” she wrote.
She added, “14 years ago, I was 23, so I was definitely not a child. I’m not here to make excuses because I don’t have anything to make excuses for. What I can’t let anyone do is twist my story to fit false narratives.”
The singer explained that the tweets were made at a time when she was helping her mother run a daycare while building her music career. According to her, the posts reflected everyday interactions with children and were not written with any harmful intent.
Simi maintained that she has never engaged in any form of depravity and rejected suggestions that the tweets suggested otherwise.
On her stance against sexual violence, she said, “I have always spoken against rape and sexual assault even before you knew I existed. It’s not a costume I’m wearing, it’s who I am… I said stop raping women. I stand by it.”
Her comments have drawn mixed reactions online, with some users defending her and others continuing to question the resurfaced posts.
