Manny Ita
In a significant retreat following a public legal threat, X influencer Dami Foreign has issued a formal apology to Afrobeats icon Tiwa Savage, claiming he never intended to cause harm to her or her 10-year-old son, Jamil Balogun. The apology, posted on January 6, 2026, came hours after Savage warned that her patience with his “repeated attacks” had reached a breaking point. “I want you to know that I don’t mean bad or de@th for you or your son,” the influencer wrote, attempting to de-escalate a confrontation that appeared headed for a courtroom under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
The rift reached a climax earlier that Tuesday when Dami Foreign posted a video of the singer and her son with the caption: “Omo, why’s Tiwa Savage’s son frowning?” Savage, who usually ignores online commentary about her career or age, responded with uncharacteristic ferocity, accusing the influencer of a long-standing “paid agenda” to discredit her. She specifically cited a past post where the troll reportedly wished for her early death, retorting with “Back to sender” and warning, “I dare you to post anything about my child again and THIS WILL MOVE BEYOND TWITTER.”
Dami Foreign’s apology shifted the narrative from defiance to damage control, as he pleaded for the singer to recognize his “positive tweets” that had gone unnoticed. “You must be very angry and hurt for you to have called me out… It’s all love from this side,” he stated in his post. Despite the apology, the exchange has triggered a broader national debate on the toxic “banter culture” prevalent in Nigerian digital spaces. Legal experts note that Savage’s threat of moving the matter “beyond Twitter” likely refers to the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2024 (as amended), which has recently seen high-profile re-arraignments of other social media personalities for similar offenses.
While the singer has not yet publicly accepted the apology, her supporters have lauded her for drawing a “red line” at the harassment of minors. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the narrowing gap between online commentary and criminal liability in 2026. For now, the “Savage Mode” warning remains a trending topic, signaling a shift in how A-list celebrities intend to police their personal boundaries against influencers who use “engagement baiting” at the expense of family privacy.
