After the insult and counter-insult between Linda Ikeji and Pop star, Wizkid, few weeks back, the blogger reportedly informed the Police of the threat issued against her by the singer.
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Wizkid |
Miss Ikeji has now released a long statement, explaining the
reasons behind her decision to involve the authorities in the matter between her
and the 25-year old music star.
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| Linda Ikeji (Instagram ) |
Read the full post below:
"I’m sure many of you have read that the police is now involved in my issue with Wizkid. Yes, I reported his public threat to me two Sundays ago to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and I want to explain why I did it! Please pay attention and keep an open mind.
I’ve read a lot online from people saying I don’t like
Wizkid. Even Wizkid himself thinks I don’t like him. Why he or anyone would
think so is puzzling to me to be honest. Apart from his achievements after he
started insulting me online a few weeks ago…everything else, every success
Wizkid has recorded in the last 3/4 years is on LIB. All the awards, all the
record breaking feats, his sold out concerts, his foreign magazine features, and
collaborations, everything that has built him up to the young man he is today is
on LIB. Please verify! Search my blog. Please continue…
I was a huge Wizkid fan. The only song I danced harder to
than his ‘Dance For Me’ track was Fuse ODG’s ‘Antenna and Kiss Daniel & DJ
Shabzy’s Raba. So, no, I had no dislike for Wizkid. But about a year ago, I
noticed his indirect snide remarks at me…and when some other music star beefed
with me, Wizkid showed his support and made disrespectful comments. That was
when I noticed he had issues with me… but that didn’t stop me from writing about
him and celebrating him.
Now to the issue at hand. When I reported that he was
served quit notice at his Lekki home, I stated fact and I didn’t write it out of
malice. It’s not everyday you get exclusive stories…and I’m sure any other
blogger who got the story first would also have published it. So, there was no
beef, I was just doing my job. A day or so after I wrote this story, Wizkid went
on my instagram page to call me names and lied that I slept with some director
of his…which I have said before is 1000% lies! But the insult and lies is not
why the police is now involved.
Here’s the thing; You can insult me, insult my family, call
me any names you like, even lie that I slept with your forefathers…but don’t
threaten me. If you threaten me, I will act!
I read people online saying that I reported to the police
because I am scared of Wizkid. No, my darlings, I am not afraid of Wizkid.
Though I do not take his threats lightly. I went to the authorities for two
reasons…and please young boys of our generation, pay attention to what I am
about to write below.
You see, violence against women and threat of violence
against women is not okay. Threatening harm to someone in a public space is a
criminal act in every country of the world, including Nigeria. I bet some of you
didn’t know that, yeah? You can not publicly threaten someone with harm. You
will only get away with it if your victim doesn’t report to the authorities. If
they do, you will have a case with the police and I promise you, the police take
these things seriously.
I reported this case to the authorities because I want our
young men to know this is not okay. You should not raise your hands on a woman.
You shouldn’t even threaten to raise your hands on a woman. Wizkid wrote that he
would send his 16 year old cousin to beat the shit out of me. Letting Wizkid get
away with it is basically telling our young men that this is okay…and it’s
not!
After Wizkid made the threat to me, I saw a lot of teen
boys hailing and applauding him. To them, this was okay. If their idol can
threaten a woman with harm, and use derogatory words, they also can do it…and
that’s how the circle of abuse of women continues. Women being called ‘smelly
p*ssy’ trended online for a day or two! Little boys were happy to use the words.
Sad!
It is appalling to me that anyone, especially women, would
cheer Wizkid on. When he wrote RIP Linda, I saw a few young girls write same,
laughing. This is not a laughing matter. It doesn’t matter whether you like me
or not! This is not about Linda Ikeji. This is about abuse of women which has
eaten deep into our society, so deep that it has now been accepted as normal.
Men do it all the time and get away with it. So many women are battered by their
husbands and they refuse to speak up because of the stigma. They refuse to seek
help because they are afraid of what people will say. I am sorry, I am not one
of those women. I refuse to be victimized. And as long as I have my voice and my
platform, I will speak up.
We women have to come together to lend a strong voice to
the plight of women in our continent. When we see a woman being physically and
mentally abused, let’s act. Let’s speak up. Let’s not laugh and say she deserves
it. If we continue to keep quiet, the circle of abuse will continue. And one
day, You, yes You, will find yourself in the receiving end of a thundering slap,
followed by heavy blows. If not you, then maybe your daughter? Let’s condemn
violence and threat of violence against women! This is not acceptable!
Young men like Wizkid, a father of two young boys himself,
should never advocate violence against women. One day, he will have a daughter,
how would he feel if another male threatens to put hands on her or even calls
her a hoe?
I can’t count how many times Wizkid called me a hoe in his
rant against me. That’s what boys do. When they get into a fight with a woman,
they try to slut-shame her. Smelly p*ssy, hoe, ashawo etc. You call a woman, who
gave another young woman, whose real name she doesn’t even know N500,000 just
because she said she would rather work by carrying cement than prostitute
herself, that’s the person you call a hoe? When your mind is so warped you can’t
differentiate between a woman and a hoe, then this is what happens. Except you
drive to Sanusi Fanfuwa at 2am to pick up a prostitute, who proudly describes
herself as one, then you shouldn’t call any woman a hoe.
Even Tupac who was a well known thug could differentiate
between the types of women he dealt with. When asked in an interview why he
called women bitches, he said people shouldn’t confuse things, that he wouldn’t
address a mother or a sister the way he would address a b***h, that the bitches
were the ones he dealt with in the clubs who behaved like one. He reiterated
that he respected women!
In more civilized countries, Wizkid would have lost his
endorsements and spent the next year or so apologizing and being in the
fore-front of promoting anti-violence crusades against women. It took Chris
Brown years to get back on his feet after his assault on a woman. Up till today,
he doesn’t have any major endorsements and some countries still deny him
entrance into their country i.e Australia for something he did 7 years ago. Yes,
violence against women is serious!
And there’s the case of incitement. When you have power and
influence, you have to be careful what you say in public. Because you have such
power, something you say can influence your followers. A fan can commit acts
that even you may not support or might not even condone. But because it came out
of your mouth, they think you mean it. So it is irresponsible to say things that
might be inciteful. In Law, you can be held responsible when people act based on
what you said in public. Tupac was charged to court and indicted after some
thugs killed a police officer. The thugs went to court and mentioned that their
idol encouraged violence against LA police officers in a song where he said
‘Drop a cop’. So, we folks with some measure of influence should be more careful
with our utterances. People are watching and listening!
The second reason I filed a police report is to encourage
other women in similar situations to do same. My dear ladies, if a man threatens
to puts hands on you, and you feel the threat is real, report to the
authorities. Don’t wait until he does it. What if you don’t survive it? If he’s
picked up and may be charged to court (yes, you can be charged to court for
making threats…it’s a misdemeanor with a prison sentence), then he will think
twice before making threats against you in the future or any other woman for
that matter.
I went as far as I did for me and for other women. This is
to pass a strong message to our young men that these kinds of behaviour towards
women will not be tolerated. Should not be tolerated. If you assault or even
threaten to assault a woman, the law will come after you if she chooses not to
be silent. Women, don’t be silent. Let’s break the circle. For your sake, for my
sake, for the sake of our daughters, granddaughters, great granddaughters and
all other women that will follow them.
And that’s really all I have to say in the matter. Thank
you guys for reading
And to Wizkid fans, please be rest assured that I wish him
all the best in life. He will continue to grow from strength to strength (as
long as he doesn’t endorse violence against women) and his light will never
diminish. God brought him to this level and will continue to keep him. I have
nothing but love for his craft and hope that one day, we will put this behind
us.
God bless him, me, you and everyone else in the
world
Cheers.
Oh and by the way, I’m starting my vlog series soon,"
she concluded.
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