Simi defends old tweets, says anti-rape stance remains unchanged

Nigerian singer Simisola Kosoko, fondly called Simi, has responded to renewed criticism on social media following the circulation of tweets she posted more than a decade ago.

The backlash emerged in the wake of her recent public comments condemning rape culture, as well as the online arguments generated by an ongoing rape allegation involving TikToker, identified as Mirabel.

In a statement shared on X on Sunday, Simi said she was alerted to the old posts after they had already begun trending and attracting negative reactions.

Simi explained that the tweets were made in 2012, when she was living with her mother and assisting at her mother’s daycare while trying to build a music career.

The popular singer said she frequently posted about daily experiences at the time, including light-hearted moments involving children at the centre.

She wrote: “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.

‘Burn rapists’: Simi condemns rape after TikTok user reports assault in Lagos

“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 admire/d. Or being a cheeky young woman. I wasn’t trying to hide it, because I don’t have anything to hide.”

Simi also revealed that her team had taken down some of the old tweets because of how sensitive the situation has become for her family, even though she was initially reluctant to delete them.

Reiterating her long-standing position against sexual violence, Simi said she has always spoken out against rape and sexual assault, stressing that her advocacy is genuine and not driven by public pressure.

The singer added: “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 Star