Afrobeats singer, Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has sparked controversy after calling for capital punishment for rapists.

Nigeria is currently in a sexual assault crisis with multiple rape allegations being reported in different parts of the country in recent weeks.

Reacting on Tuesday night, Simi passionately appealed to citizens and the authorities to put an end to sexual assault against women.

“I’m sickkk of this. Stop raping women. They need to castrate rapists and burn them,” she wrote in a fierce X post.

However, her suggestion of a capital punishment for rapists sparked a debate, with many arguing that the same should be given to false rape accusers.

Simi maintained that she was advocating for rape victims and not victims of false rape accusations, which further escalated their controversy.

Shunning the outrage from her male fans, the singer explained that she was advocating for rape victims because almost all the women she knew have been “sexually assaulted at some points of their lives.”

She argued that it isn’t right to stop people from speaking against sexual assault just because of false rape accusers.

“How many of your friends have actually assaulted women as vibes?? Women are terrified to go out. Women in their homes are not safe either. Ask your sisters. Ask your female friends and your girlfriends. Ask your wives. We’re not all crazy. Stop raping women,” she added.

Simi also urged men to hold their fellow men accountable, claiming that men creating the enabling environment for rapists due to their failure to hold other accountable.

Vendors of gift items in Lagos say men have overwhelmingly dominated the purchase of Valentine gifts this season, with an estimated ratio of 15 male buyers to every one female buyer.

The survey was conducted across major gift outlets, roadside stalls and shopping centres in parts of Lagos on Thursday.

According to the vendors, men were more visible in gift shops and online stores, purchasing items ranging from customised boxed perfumes, wigs and jewellery to flowers, chocolates and teddy bears for their loved ones.

Ufuoma Adeyinka-Jones, Founder of The Lofinda Express, a perfume outlet, said that since Monday, most of her customers had been men buying gifts for their wives, lovers, daughters, sisters and nieces.

She said that contrary to popular opinion, men were highly romantic and intentional gift-givers.

Adeyinka-Jones noted that in spite of advertisements targeting both male and female audiences, responses from men were overwhelmingly higher.

”Out of every 15 orders, only one comes from a woman,” she said.

She disclosed that the least amount spent on a customised perfume box was N40, 000.

According to her, men were particularly thoughtful this season, ensuring that female family members are not left out of the valentine celebrations.

”Men have gone all out to make their partners feel seen and valued.

”This Valentine’s season, orders have increased by over 200 per cent following the advertisements I placed. Many customers are also adding handwritten notes alongside gift cards.

”They are very particular about delivery timing to build anticipation and often request additional items such as wigs and jewellery to complement the perfume boxes.”

Similarly, Latifat Asenoguan, Chief Executive Officer of Wholesome Hairs, said sales during the valentine season had tripled her expectations, with the majority of purchases made by men.

Asenoguan noted that the few women who patronised her business bought wigs mainly for personal use.

According to her, men have taken gifting to another level this year, sparing no effort to delight their partners.

Also, Madam Emema Okon, a baker, said the number of heart-shaped cakes produced this season surpassed that of the previous year.

She said she collaborated with supermarkets to include wines, chocolates, flowers and other items to enhance the presentation of the cake boxes.

According to her, on average, men have spent between N75, 000 and N100, 000 per box this season.

”It is the thoughtfulness behind the gifts that makes them truly special.”

A gift shop owner in Ikeja, who identified herself simply as Blessing, said the trend reflected long-standing cultural expectations that men take the lead in valentine celebrations.

She said that since the beginning of the week, about 90 per cent of her customers had been men.

”Women do buy gifts, but they are usually smaller items or not necessarily for a boyfriend or husband,” she said.

Similarly, a food tray chef, Stacy Soremekun, said many men were making last-minute purchases, with increased foot traffic expected on Valentine’s Day.

She expressed optimism that sales would peak on Friday, as many buyers traditionally delay gift purchases until the final day of the celebration.

Nigerian actor, Victor Udochukwu Nwaogu, popularly known as Nkubi, has revealed that one of the reasons he became an actor was because people were refusing to employ him due to his physique.

The movie star disclosed this while speaking on the stigma of being a little person in a recent episode of the One on One podcast alongside his wife.

He explained that he was oblivious of his reality until he started getting rejected at job interviews after his secondary school.

“As a child you barely understood your reality but you knew you were different from every regular person.

“When the reality of being a little person first hit me was when I finished secondary school and I couldn’t secure minor jobs like others,” he stated.

Nkubi said regrettably, his daughter is already facing the same stigmatisation from internet trolls, who make derogatory comments about him due to her size.

He, however, noted that him and his wife were aware of the possibility of having a child with dwarfism and were emotionally prepared for it.

His wife added that despite their preparation for stigmatisation against their child, it still hurts sometimes to see trolls constantly bully her unprovoked.

She shared that a doctor advised her to get pregnant for another man to avoid giving birth to a child with dwarfism but she refused.