Simi Breaks Silence on Resurfaced Tweets Amid Rape Advocacy Debate
By Momodu Favour
Nigerian singer and songwriter, Simi has addressed controversy surrounding a series of resurfaced tweets from 2012 and 2013, insisting that her comments were taken out of context and did not suggest any form of improper conduct.
The renewed scrutiny followed her recent outspoken stance against rape and sexual violence during online discussions sparked by the alleged assault case involving the TikTok personality known as Mirabel, which has generated widespread reactions across social media platforms.
In the course of the debate, Simi had stated that men should stop raping women and that rapists deserved severe punishment.
She also remarked that nearly every woman she knows has experienced some form of sexual assault, a comment that triggered heated exchanges on X (formerly Twitter), with supporters praising her stance and critics questioning her past online comments.
Days after facing backlash from online users, the singer issued a statement on Sunday explaining the context of the old tweets.
“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, a period when she was living with her mother and assisting at her mother’s daycare centre while striving to build her music career.
She noted that social media culture at the time was more casual, with users frequently sharing personal and day-to-day experiences without anticipating future scrutiny.
“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 stated.
Some of the resurfaced tweets included comments about hugging and kissing children at the daycare and humorous references to interactions with a four-year-old child. Screenshots of the posts circulated widely, prompting debates over their interpretation.
Addressing the nature of the tweets, Simi maintained that they reflected innocent observations about children’s playful behaviour and were never intended to imply 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 wrote.
She further emphasised that she would not allow her past comments to be distorted to fit what she described as false narratives.
“What I can’t let anyone do is twist my story to fit false narratives,” she added.
The singer also disclosed that some of the tweets had been removed due to the sensitivity of the matter and its potential impact on her family.
According to her, the deletions were carried out by her team, although she personally would have preferred to leave them up.
“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 said.
Reaffirming her position on sexual violence, Simi stressed that her recent comments condemning rape were consistent with her long-standing beliefs.
“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,” she stated.
The development has continued to generate mixed reactions online, with some social media users defending the singer and others insisting that public figures must be mindful of how past statements can resurface and be interpreted years later.
As conversations around sexual violence and accountability persist in the digital space, the episode highlights the enduring impact of historical social media posts and the broader debate about context, intent and evolving public standards.
