Prosecuting Simi Will Be Difficult Without Survivor— DSVA Executive Secretary

The Lagos State Government has intensified scrutiny of the controversy involving Nigerian singer Simi, confirming that the matter has been referred to the Commissioner of Police for preliminary investigation.

Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), disclosed this during an appearance on Morning Brief on Channels Television on Thursday, February 26.

Vivour-Adeniyi said the agency had been monitoring developments following the resurfacing of disturbing tweets allegedly linked to the singer.

“In terms of Simi gates, some people have been asking what the institutions are doing. I can speak for what Lagos State is doing,” she said.

She noted that some of the tweets date back to 2012 and 2014. “But what we have done is to actually refer the case to the Commissioner of Police to at least conduct some preliminary investigation. As you know, this may have happened in a creche managed by her mum,” she added.

Vivour-Adeniyi stressed that prosecution would be difficult without a complainant and urged alleged victims to come forward. “It is going to be very difficult to prosecute Simi without a survivor being present. To start the process, we encourage anybody who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Simi to please come forward and ensure that their statement is taken.”

The development follows an earlier statement by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which called on members of the public with credible information regarding the allegations to submit evidence to the agency.