Tiwa Savage has said that she is being blackmailed over a sex tape. The Nigerian Afrobeats star told Power 105.1’s Angie Martinez that her boyfriend accidentally posted the video to his Snapchat account last month. Someone was however able to download the clip before it was deleted, Tiwa said.
The songstress said that person is now trying to extort money from her in exchange for not releasing it publicly. Tiwa, who is currently in the U.S. to promote her recent EP, “Water and Garri”, told Martinez: “Yesterday I was leaving a radio station, I’m in my car and my road manager sends me a message that says ‘check your phone’.”
“So I check it and there’s a video, and I’m just like, woah. I’m like where did you get this from? He’s like, ‘I just got it 20 minutes ago’.”
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“The video was sent to him and it’s a video of me with the person I’m dating right now,” the Somebody’s Son singer explained.
She said she would rather the tape be leaked than pay the money. “My manager’s like, well how much are they asking for?
“I woke up and I was like no, I’m not because I pay now and then two months down the line you’re gonna come back again and then another two years. Who knows even if I do send you the money, you probably would release it anyway.
“I’m not going to allow anybody to blackmail me for doing something that is natural… this is an intimate moment with someone I’m dating.”
“I am that crazy I could put it out myself – you are not making any money off me,” she said.
Tiwa, who is one of the world’s biggest Afrobeats stars and signed to Universal Music Group, said she was unable to sleep when she first learned of the blackmail on Wednesday. Her worry now is about the effect the video might have on her six-year-old son and mother.
“For me it’s my mum having to see this, my son. I’m gonna talk to him. For me it’s more about later on when he’s 15 and someone’s just trying to be rude to him in the playground or in school,” said the singer.
It is a criminal offense in Nigeria to share intimate photos or videos of someone without their consent. In 2015, a cyber-crime act was passed making it an offense with up to three years in prison.
Tiwa’s recent EP, “Water and Garri” was released in August and features guest spots by Nas and Brandy.
