MALE CELEBRITIES RECOUNT CHILDHOOD ABUSE BY OLDER WOMEN, RAISE ALARM OVER SILENCE ON MALE VICTIMS

By: Sefiu Ajape

Two male social media personalities have narrated how they were allegedly sexually abused by older women during childhood, as controversy surrounding old tweets by singer Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, continues to generate debate on social media.

The individuals lamented what they described as the alarming rate of molestation of male children by adult women, saying such cases are often overlooked.

Skit maker Olamide Ogunleye, popularly known as Oluwadolarz, recounted how he was allegedly abused at the age of six by a female neighbor he identified as Aunty Ramota.

In a video shared on his Instagram page, Oluwadolarz said he was mistreated whenever he returned home from school to the house where he lived with his grandmother during childhood.

He recalled that the abuse lasted for about a year, adding that he was too young at the time to understand what was happening and had no one to confide in.

He said the experience left lasting emotional effects and affected aspects of his adult life.

“I’m saying it because I’m beginning to realise that it’s something that could have messed up my life. I think it actually did mess up my life. Because it messed up my sex life, messed up a lot of things about me that I can’t even say here. The damage that that stuff causes or brings to one’s life is unforgettable. It’s almost unsolvable. But as for you, Ramota, it won’t be better for you,” he said.

Oluwadolarz added that when he eventually informed his guardians, the alleged perpetrator was only warned rather than reported to authorities.

Similarly, media personality Abisoye Olukoya Michael, popularly known as Oyemykke, alleged that he was abused at the age of four by a family acquaintance identified as Aunty Saida.

In an Instagram video, Oyemykke said the incidents began when he was left in the woman’s care and occurred repeatedly, leaving emotional scars that followed him into adulthood. According to him, the experience robbed him of his innocence and shaped his early life in ways he was only now able to speak about publicly.

He disclosed that the abuse began with inappropriate touching and later escalated.

“I was ‘graped’ by four different women in my childhood. I was disvirgined by an older woman. In fact, I was repeatedly graped until I was 12. That’s one of the reasons I’m very hyper-sexual.

“I speak to therapists till today. Aunty Saida was the first to ‘grape’ me at the age of four. She molested me repeatedly, playing with my tiny manhood. Aunty Saida was about 28 to 30 years old then, I was four,” he said.

The renewed attention followed controversy involving Simi after comments she made on social media about rape sparked widespread reactions.

She had suggested that rapists should be castrated, claiming that “almost every woman she knows has been sexually assaulted.”

When challenged by a user about women who make false rape claims, the singer dismissed the criticism, triggering outrage online.

The debate intensified after a TikTok user, Mirabel, claimed she was raped in her apartment by a stranger but was later found to have made a false allegation, prompting calls for Simi to apologise.

Shortly afterwards, screenshots of old tweets believed to have been posted by the singer between 2012 and 2013 resurfaced online.

Among them were posts referencing children at her mother’s daycare, including comments such as “love to kiss d kids at my mum’s daycare – they’re super adorable and I’m crazy abt ’em” and “Why this four year old boy tryna put hand inside ma shet????? Ogbeni wash it oh!”, among others.

The resurfaced tweets drew criticism from some social media users who interpreted them as inappropriate.

Reacting to the controversy, Oyemykke faulted the singer for not taking accountability and urged her to apologise publicly.

“Simi, you said that the kid, a four-year-old, was sexualising you. You wrote those things. And instead of coming outside to apologise, you’re defending your acts, and this is where the issue is. You need to apologise and let this entire situation go down,” Oyemykke said.

Following public outcry, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency said it had referred the allegations to the Commissioner of Police for preliminary investigation.

The agency’s Executive Secretary, Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, said the agency could not ignore the allegations and urged anyone affected to come forward with statements.

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Bello, also ordered a full-scale investigation into the allegations.

NAPTIP spokesman Vincent Adekoye confirmed that the agency was expecting petitions from alleged victims.

“In the coming days we are expecting people to come to make complaints as victims, but for now we won’t be able to tell you these are the persons that have shown up. Don’t forget that you are presumed innocent until proven otherwise,” Adekoye said.

Speaking on the matter, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, confirmed that the matter would be investigated once formally reported.

“I learnt that they (Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency) are bringing the matter to us, so we are waiting for them. Once they bring the matter, we will start an investigation,” he said.

Rights advocates have since called for a professional and time-bound probe.

Founder and Executive Director of Boys Aid Network, Olufunke Oyinlola, said abuse involving boys is often overlooked due to societal beliefs that males cannot be victims.

“Abuse of boys, particularly by women, is often overlooked or underreported for several reasons. There is a strong societal belief that boys cannot be victims of sexual abuse. For a long time, women have been seen as the only gender capable of being abused, and male rape was not formally recognised in Nigerian law until the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPPA) 2015,” Oyinlola said.

She urged the police to invite the singer for questioning to ensure transparency and public confidence.

Also commenting, the Chief Operating Officer of DOHS Care Foundation, Mrs. Ololade Ajayi, said cases involving male victims are frequently underreported because of fear of ridicule or dismissal.

“It is important for male victims of sexual violence to also speak out. Abuse should never be normalised, whether the victim is male or female,” she said.

She called on society to treat all cases of sexual abuse with seriousness and to ensure that victims receive support instead of being silenced.