Nigerian singer Simi has responded to criticism after past tweets she made of a 4-year-old resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter).
The controversy began on February 22, 2026, after Simi posted on her X account that rapists should be “castrated and burnt alive.” Her comment came over an allegation made by a TikTok user identified as Mirabel, who had claimed she was sexually assaulted in her home.
Following Simi’s statement, users circulated screenshots of tweets she wrote 14 years ago. In one of the 2012 posts, she wrote that a four-year-old boy had a crush on her and was “acting like he wana loc lip.” In another, she joked that the same child was “trying to put hand inside my shet (sic).”
Some social media users criticized the mother of three, describing her remarks as inappropriate. Others accused the singer of contradicting her strong position against sexual violence.
In a statement shared on X on February 22, 2026, Simi addressed the matter directly. 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 address it.”
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 37-year-old explained that in 2012, she was living with her mother and assisting at her mother’s daycare while building her music career. According to her, she often shared everyday experiences online at the time.
“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,” she wrote.
Simi rejected suggestions that the posts were written with harmful intent. “Nothing I tweeted was from perversion,” she stated. “I’ve never been depraved in my life.”
She also confirmed that members of her team had begun deleting some of the older posts because of concerns about their impact on her family. “My team has been deleting some of my tweets because of how sensitive they are to my family. To be honest, I did not want to,” she wrote.
Addressing criticism of her earlier statement about rapists, Simi maintained her position. “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,” she added.
