So How Did Simi End Up at the Center of This Online Storm?

At the start of February 2026, many Nigerians knew Simisola Bolatito Kosoko (@SympLySimi) simply as one of the country’s most beloved artists. 

But over the past fortnight, her name has appeared everywhere for reasons far beyond music: a social-media whirlwind that has dragged her into a major public debate about sexual violence, online activism, and the consequences of negative digital footprints. 

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It began with Mirabel, a TikTok user whose emotional video alleging rape went viral for claiming she had been raped and physically injured. Her video spread like wildfire across Nigeria’s social platforms, inciting anger, outrage, grief, solidarity and conversations about sexual violence in Nigeria. 

As usual with Nigerians, public opinion was split between belief, scepticism, and calls for due process.

The Ogun State Police confirmed they were looking into the situation after Mirabel brought her story to law enforcement and later required medical care, but they did not arrest anyone in connection with the claim.

Like many public figures, Simi weighed in on the issue with a direct, simple, and furious message:

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She went further, suggesting severe punishment for offenders. That statement set the motion for the backlash you will read in subsequent sections.

When some users tried to shift the online discussion toward false accusations, asking what should happen in those cases, Simi doubled down on her original message and emphatically rejected that tangent. 

She maintained that conversations about false allegations should not derail urgent discussions about sexual violence. That refusal to reframe the narrative angered some corners of social media, and that’s when digital archaeology began.

Within days of her advocacy post going viral, old tweets from Simi came back into the spotlight. These were posts from 2012, years before she became a major star, when she was helping at her mother’s daycare centre while grinding to build her music career.

The tweets referenced playful interactions with children at the daycare. At the time, they appeared casual and unremarkable. In 2026, under the microscope of cancel culture, they were interpreted differently by some critics.

Certain users presented the content as inappropriate or suggestive, and that interpretation spread quickly on X and other platforms. 

What had started as Simi’s call to end rape culture became tangled with accusations, some subtle, some more explicit, questioning her conduct around children years ago.

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On February 22, Simi released a detailed response on X, addressing the controversy directly.

On February 22, amid the rising storm, Simi released her most detailed response yet. In an official statement on X, she walked her audience through the context:

• The tweets in question were written 14 years ago — in 2012, when she was 23, not a minor.

• She was living with her mother and working at the family’s daycare while pursuing her music career.

• She explained that she tweeted everyday moments — including playful interactions with kids — as many young adults did on social media at the time.

“I’m not here to make excuses because I don’t have anything to make excuses for,” she wrote. “But what I can’t let anyone do is twist my story to fit false narratives.” 

In her statement, she reiterated that she has long been outspoken against rape and sexual assault — “even before you knew I existed.”

Supporters argued that resurfacing old tweets to attack her character was an unfair deflection from the core message, which is ending violence against women. Many fans and colleagues publicly rallied behind her.

Critics maintained that the social media interpretation raised serious concerns and deserved scrutiny. Some said context didn’t erase the discomfort certain posts created. 

One of the loudest arguments online isn’t even about the original tweets anymore, but about inconsistency in judgment. Critics have pointed out that when Odumodublvck faced backlash over resurfaced tweets in the past, many people insisted that “old tweets matter” and demanded accountability. 

The same pattern played out with Ezra, who was also dragged, bullied and fired over his old posts. But now that it’s Simi, some people are saying, “It’s not that deep."

To make matters even more chaotic, the internet didn’t stop at Simi.

Old tweets from her husband, Adekunle Gold, have also started resurfacing with people digging through his past posts and placing them under the same microscope. It’s almost like once one person is trending, everyone connected to them automatically gets pulled into the spotlight too.

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By February 24–26, the narrative had crossed from social media into institutional response.

What began as online outrage has now drawn attention from both federal and state authorities. At the federal level, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) announced it would investigate any credible reports of child sexual abuse linked to the controversy, urging individuals with first-hand information to come forward confidentially. 

Shortly after, at the state level, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) confirmed it had referred the matter to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for preliminary investigation, following public concerns about the resurfaced tweets and the daycare referenced in them. DSVA officials stressed that while online discourse can raise awareness, formal action depends on verifiable complaints and survivor testimony.

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As of Feb 26, 2026:

• Simi remains a major trending topic on Nigerian social media and beyond.

• Her official stance has been clarified and restated, focusing on her position against sexual violence and defending the context of her past posts. 

• NAPTIP is inviting credible reports for investigation, signalling that what was once a purely online controversy now has real-world legal and social consequences.

• Public opinion remains deeply divided: some see this as digital archaeology weaponised against an activist voice, while others insist past words, however old, can’t be ignored when interpreted in harmful ways.