The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has pledged to examine credible information following online discussions surrounding alleged child misconduct in daycare environments in Nigeria.
The controversy erupted after old social media posts by popular singer Simi resurfaced online. Some social media users accused the artist of inappropriate comments, alleging that past posts from as far back as 2013 contained references they interpreted as sexualizing toddlers at her mother’s daycare.
The renewed scrutiny followed Simi’s recent comments condemning rape after a TikTok user claimed to have been sexually assaulted—an allegation later reported to be false. Some netizens subsequently called on the singer to also address false accusations with equal intensity. Dissatisfied with her reaction, critics began circulating her old posts.
Responding to the backlash, Simi explained that in 2012 she lived and assisted at her mother’s daycare while pursuing her music career, noting that she frequently shared everyday experiences on social media at the time.
“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,” she wrote on X.
She added that she was not famous at the time and did not anticipate that her posts could later be misinterpreted. The singer maintained that she has never engaged in any form of depravity and insisted she has nothing to hide.
In a brief statement issued amid the online debate, NAPTIP urged members of the public with factual information or direct knowledge related to the viral claims to contact the agency confidentially via direct message or email.
The agency emphasized its commitment to thoroughly investigating credible reports while encouraging affected individuals or witnesses to come forward.
