Nigerian singer Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, well known as Simi has responded after a 2012 tweet from her X account resurfaced and sparked outrage online.

The old post, shared in March 2012, referenced a four-year-old boy who allegedly had a crush on her, using playful language that some social media users recently interpreted as inappropriate.

The tweet quickly went viral, with critics accusing the singer of sexualising a minor and calling for accountability.

Breaking her silence, Simi explained that she was 23 at the time and assisting at her mother’s daycare while pursuing her music career.

She said she often shared lighthearted stories about her daily experiences with children and rejected suggestions of any wrongdoing.

The singer added that although she initially did not want the tweet removed, her team has begun deleting some old posts due to the sensitivity of the situation for her family.

She maintained that she has never engaged in inappropriate behaviour and continues to stand by her advocacy.

Her full statement is below:

"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 admire/d. 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."

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…

— Simi (@SympLySimi) February 22, 2026