Nigerian singer and songwriter Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has responded to controversy surrounding some of her old social media posts, saying the remarks were misinterpreted and unrelated to any improper conduct.
The renewed scrutiny followed her recent comments condemning rape amid online discussions sparked by the Mirabel TikToker case, which gained traction on social media.
Simi had stated that men should stop raping women and that rapists should be castrated, adding that almost every woman she knows has experienced sexual assault. Her comments triggered heated debates online, with critics resurfacing tweets she made between 2012 and 2013.
After days of backlash on the X platform, the singer shared a statement addressing the issue.
“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.
Simi explained that the posts dated back to 2012 when she was less publicly known and living with her mother while building her music career.
“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,” she said.
According to her, the tweets reflected casual observations about children at the daycare and were never intended to suggest anything inappropriate.
“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,” she stated.
Among the resurfaced posts were tweets referencing humorous interactions with children at the daycare and a November 12, 2013 tweet that read, “I wonder if anyone’s ever used breast milk to bake cake before.”
Reacting to the backlash, Simi maintained that her words were being taken out of context.
“What I can’t let anyone do is twist my story to fit false narratives,” she said.
She added that some of the old posts had been deleted due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“My team has been deleting some of my tweets because of how sensitive it is for my family. To be honest, I did not want to,” she noted.
Reaffirming her stance on sexual violence, Simi said her advocacy against rape is consistent with her long-held beliefs.
“I’ve never been depraved in my life. 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’ve never claimed to be perfect. I’ve never claimed to know everything. I said stop raping women. I stand by it.”
The issue continues to spark debate across social media, with users divided over the interpretation of her old posts.
