The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is facing public criticism over what some Nigerians describe as double standards in its handling of a daycare abuse controversy linked to Nigerian singer, Simisola ‘Simi’ Kosoko.
The backlash followed a statement issued by the anti-trafficking agency on Tuesday, calling on members of the public to provide credible information regarding alleged incidents of child sexual abuse and misconduct in daycare centres across Nigeria.
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Although NAPTIP did not specifically mention Ms Kosoko in its statement, many social media users connected the agency’s call to the controversy surrounding resurfaced posts she made years ago while assisting at her mother’s daycare.
Critics argue that the agency’s approach appears less direct compared to its handling of previous controversies involving male public figures.
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“Following recent public discussions and concerns raised regarding alleged incidents of child sexual abuse/misconduct in daycare settings in Nigeria, we are committed to thoroughly investigating credible reports,” NAPTIP wrote on its X handle.
The post has since generated hundreds of thousands of reactions.
Allegations of double standards
Following the agency’s statement, some critics compared the agency’s response to what they consider its more direct handling of past controversies involving male figures, including musician Speed Darlington, also known as Akpi.
Muhammed Adam, a lawyer, questioned the agency’s investigative approach on his X handle.
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“If NAPTIP is serious, the right thing to do will be to visit the alleged daycare, if it’s still in operation, interview the staff, invite Simi and her mum for questioning, check through their records, trace any David or his parents, and go through their complaint box or records if any report of child abuse or molestation was ever made and come up with a report.
“That’s how to do a proper investigation, and not ask random people to come forward,” he said.
Another X user, @Maxvayshai, described the agency’s response as “deliberate and disgraceful,” questioning why the singer was not directly named.
“NAPTIP is a BIG disgrace… how can you deliberately not mention her name and still not have her wanted the way you quickly declared a man in a similar situation wanted?” the user wrote.
Other users also suggested that the agency was being lenient because the person at the centre of the controversy is a woman.
Yemi Hazan said the agency must demonstrate integrity and impartiality regardless of who is involved, while another user, Sadiq, alleged that the singer might not be investigated because she is a “favourite celebrity.”
Background
The controversy began after Ms Kosoko reacted to a viral TikTok video by a user identified as “Mirabel,” who had alleged that an unknown person raped her in her apartment. The claim, which gained millions of views across social media platforms, later reportedly turned out to be false.
Amid the public outrage generated by the allegation, the singer condemned sexual violence and called for strict punishment for rapists.
“I’m sick of this. STOP RAPING WOMEN. They need to castrate rapists and burn them,” she wrote.
However, some social media users urged her to also condemn false rape accusations with equal intensity. The singer declined, a move that divided opinions among her followers.
Soon after, critics resurfaced posts she made around 2012 and 2013, before she became widely known when she was 23 and helping at her mother’s daycare.
In one of the resurfaced posts, she wrote:
“David has a crush on me. He keeps coming close, acting like he wanna lock lips and then he puts his head on my lap. Should I give him a chance? PS: He is 4.”
Some users described the posts as inappropriate or sexualised.
Simi’s response
Responding to the backlash, Ms Kosoko said the tweets were misinterpreted as youthful jokes and denied any improper intent. She also deleted some of the posts.
READ ALSO: NAPTIP intercepts suspected trafficker with 10 children
“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,” part of her reaction read, attracting over 27 million impressions as of Wednesday.
“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.”
Another X user, Chunedu Okoli, urged the agency to trace the “David” mentioned in the resurfaced posts.
“I am calling on NAPTIP (@naptipnigeria) to trace a certain David in Simi’s mother’s daycare as far back as 2012; he will be 18 by now,” he posted.
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