The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has explained that prosecuting singer Simi over her resurfaced 2012 tweets about a four-year-old boy would be “very difficult” without a complainant coming forward. Executive Secretary Lola Vivour-Adeniyi told Channels TV: “It’s going to be very difficult to prosecute the lady without a survivor being present, a victim of whatever it is, whether it’s sexual abuse, rape, defilement, or sexual assault by provocation.”
The controversy erupted after Simi called for rapists to be “castrated and burnt alive” following the Mirabel false rape saga, prompting social media users to dig up her old tweets. In one 2012 post, Simi tweeted about a four-year-old “acting like he wana loc lip.” Simi has defended the tweets as not written from perversion and taken out of context. The DSVA has referred the matter to state police for investigation, while NAPTIP also announced plans to investigate.
Key Points:
The absence of a complainant creates legal hurdles for prosecution.
It highlights the difficulty of pursuing historical social media content without victims.
Simi avoids immediate legal jeopardy, while authorities await complainants.
This signals the challenge of regulating online content after the fact.
The timing, with investigations pending, leaves case open.
Lagos DSVA says prosecuting Simi over old tweets difficult without complainant, as agency refers matter to police for investigation.
Sources: TheCable, Channels TV, Lagos DSVA