Nigerian singer Simi has reacted after social media users revived posts she wrote 14 years ago, sparking heated debate online.
The renewed criticism comes at a time of intense public discussion in Nigeria over rape culture and a separate rape allegation involving Mirabel. Within that broader conversation, some of Simi’s past tweets were reposted and widely circulated, drawing strong reactions.
In a statement shared on Sunday, February 22, 2026, the singer explained that the posts were written in 2012 when she was 23 years old. At the time, she said, she was living at home and helping at her mother’s daycare centre while trying to establish herself in the music industry.
She maintained that the tweets reflected everyday experiences and were never intended to be inappropriate. According to her, the interpretation being placed on them now does not reflect her original meaning.
“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. 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.
“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.
“I was not famous, so maybe if I was, I would have understood that anything is open to whatever interpretation including being used falsely by a faceless mob. I’ve never been depraved in my life. You can retweet all the tweets in the world about me loudly crushing on people I admired. Or being a cheeky young woman. I wasn’t trying to hide it, because I don’t have anything to hide.
“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. 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 controversy also drew comments from Nigerian music producer Samklef, who urged Simi’s family to apologise and stated that he contributed to her early career development.
Simi’s response aims to clarify her past actions and reinforce her long standing position against sexual assault as the online debate continues.