A comprehensive investigation into allegations of child molestation and abuse in a Lagos creche facility has been initiated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), following suggestive online remarks made by Simi.
In a statement issued on Friday by NAPTIP, the Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, stated that thorough investigations will be initiated in response to the recent upsurge in controversy over previous tweets that were associated with allegations of sexual misconduct involving children.
“A full-scale investigation into the alleged child molestation and abuse in a creche setting in Lagos, based on suggestive online posts linked to a popular Nigerian singer,” the statement stated, adding that Director-General Binta Adamu Bello had ordered the operation. The agency has previously asked members of the public to contact them if they were personally involved.
Nevertheless, Binta Adamu Bello, the Director-General of NAPTIP, ordered an immediate probe into the matter in the early hours of Friday.
The Joromi singer Simi has been the target of paedophile accusations after posting tweets about a youngster at her mother’s Lagos creche when he was four years old.
A full-scale inquiry into Simi’s case was reported to the Nigerian Police by Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), during her appearance on Thursday, February 26, on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.
After the singer’s purported tweets from 2012 and 2014 reappeared online and caused public outcry, Vivour-Adeniyi stated that the Lagos State Government had been keeping tabs on developments.
She made it clear that she was representing Lagos State. She claims the state chose to call the cops in order to get to the bottom of the accusations.
The matter has been forwarded to the Commissioner of Police for the purpose of conducting preliminary investigations, according to Vivour-Adeniyi.
Reportedly, the singer’s mother ran a crèche where the alleged incident may have occurred, she said.
Still, she pleaded for anyone who could have been impacted to come forward, saying that prosecution would be tough without a complainant.
Prosecuting Simi in the absence of a victim will be an extremely challenging task. She emphasised the importance of anyone who may have been sexually assaulted by Simi coming forward with their story so that justice can be served.
There has been an upsurge in conversations about purported sexual abuse and misconduct involving children in Nigerian daycare centers, prompting NAPTIP to ask the public for information. The agency stated in a public notice that they will investigate credible claims thoroughly.
The singer eventually spoke out about the scandal, stating that her tweets were just jokes that were taken out of context. She stated her innocence and continued her stance against sexual assault and rape.
At the age of 23, I was most certainly not a kid fourteen years ago. I am not here to offer justifications because I am not in a position to do so. I will not stand by as others distort my tale to suit their own agendas. “Even before you knew I existed, I have always spoken against rape and sexual assault,” she stated.
In order to move on with investigations, NAPTIP has once again asked anyone with concrete information, proof, first-hand knowledge, or personal experience pertaining to the accusations to privately contact the agency.